MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has not yet received a formal request from Russia for military assistance over the situation in its borderline Kursk Region, the CSTO said in a comment released on its official website.

"In line with procedures adopted at the CSTO, a member country seeking military assistance must send a formal request to the Organization. No such request from the Russian Federation over the situation in the Kursk Region has been received yet," the comment reads.

The international organization emphasized that it closely monitored the developments. "The military conflict expanding to the CSTO’s zone of responsibility is a whole new escalation. <…> The [CSTO] Secretariat and relevant Russian agencies exchange information on a routine basis," the CSTO said.

On August 6, Ukraine launched a major offensive in the borderline Russian region. Air raid sirens have repeatedly rung out there. Most residents of the region’s border areas have been relocated to safer places, and over 720 people have been evacuated from the Kursk Region over the past day alone, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. According to the ministry, more than 9,500 people are staying at temporary accommodations. A federal level emergency has been declared there.