Aleksandr Garkavenko, head of Goncharovka, village closer to the border than Sudzha, explains the situation in Russian Kursk oblast shortly before the Ukrainian incursion and shortly after. The transcript and translation were done automatically (subtitles), here's a brief summary from Ukrainian "Money and Rounds" channel:

▪️ For two days we reported to Moscow very pleasant, encouraging news. At this point we were really losing territory.

▪️ I'm a local, but I don't orientate myself on the terrain as much as [the Ukrainian Armed Forces]. One person explained that [the AFU] have been studying the whole terrain with copters for the last two months. Man, how dashingly they move - both through forests and on field roads!

▪️ All the civilians who experienced this talk about betrayal. But my opinion: pure corruption.

▪️ Just a fortnight ago I had a conflict with a colonel, the commander of the Sujan district border guard. People appealed to me: help me to start a road - a bypass through Kurilovka, so that ambulances and firefighters could get there. But the military did not allow me to bury the anti-tank ditch. I came to the head of the district, and this colonel was in his office. We almost got into a fight. I said, we, the people in Kurilovka, are feeding your conscripts. He says it's your wishful thinking - the Ministry of Defence feeds the conscripts. I said: you are a pig, for two and a half years civilians have been feeding people in the trenches. He says to me: how will I bury the anti-tank ditch, tomorrow tanks from Ukraine will come, how will I stop them? And on this fucking road in a fortnight went tanks!

▪️ There are mine signs, but there are no mines. Two months ago we had a fire. I came across a ‘mines’ sign. I called the neighbourhood, I said, there's a ‘mines’ sign here, should we keep putting it out? They said yes. And that's when I realised it was a sham. There are no mines.

▪️ Someone also [raised] sheep there. So people can't use the road, but someone from the Ministry of Defence allowed sheep to be housed there?

▪️ I was amazed when [conscripts] with civilians were wading across the river, we met them in Plekhovo. They had two horns each. I asked: ‘Boy, is this all that's left? He replied: no, that's all there was.

▪️ The [conscripts] had no communication. As soon as it started at night, they were warned: don't worry, hold out for 24 hours and everything will be fine. We evacuated them on the third day - they were wandering in the forest and came across us ...

▪️ We had no information and no command. On 6 August at 12 noon, an operational meeting was held in the district administration - there was not a word about the evacuation. Not a word! Just, as usual, there will be shelling and everything will be fine.

▪️ When I saw the evacuation of documents from the FSB and the police, I realised the seriousness of the situation, that it was uncontrollable.

▪️ In Suja no authorities were working, everyone was in Bolshoi Soldatsky. But what struck me: I turn on the TV in the evening to see what's going on - we have [deputy governor] Smirnov reporting that everything is normal, everything is under control.

▪️ Today we come to Plekhovo - tomorrow the Ukrainians are already there. We come to Ulanok - tomorrow they are already there. We come to Vorobzha - tomorrow they are already there.

▪️ I had a fight with the mayor. I said, why are you in Bolshezoldatsky district giving interviews that everything is calm in Suzha? Channel One picked you up! Do you realise how it looks? You know it's not like that, you have to tell the truth!

▪️ We have 14 bodies of soldiers lying at a petrol station in Konopelka. From Konopelka to Suja is 2 kilometres, and we can't take the bodies because everything is under Ukrainian control. Everything is calm, but we can't even get 2 kilometres away!

▪️ The head of the district MFC calls Volobuev, the head of the Belovo district. He says, how can we help? He says: look at the negative comments in social networks, that the district authorities are not coping, start throwing out other information there, praise us. I was amazed! I said, how so? And you put in your own, he said! As if people don't all criticise together, but there are satisfied people! Dilute the negativity!

▪️ In populated areas they worked with ‘Grads’. Right in the middle of the street ‘Grad’ stood and worked, you know? And I saw it personally.

▪️ We have an extremely negative attitude towards all local and regional authorities. And why? Because people wrote collective complaints a month before everything that happened, they saw inside that something was brewing.