UNITED NATIONS, September 16. /TASS/. United Nations representatives may visit settlements in Russia’s borderline Kursk Region that are currently controlled by Ukrainian troops only with Russia’s authorization, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said.

"The short answer from us is, we are ready to do it, but we would need authorization from the Russian Federation," he told journalists when asked whether the organization planned to send its representatives to the Kursk Region at the provocative invitation from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov slammed Kiev’s invitation for officials from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Kursk Region territories held by the Ukrainian army as a provocation.