Officials preparing for elections in Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine are to be issued body armour and helmets, the head of the regional electoral commission, Tatyana Malakhova said, according to Russian news agencies. Additional polling booths will also be set up for people displaced from parts of the region where Ukrainian forces have conducted a major incursion since the start of the month. A state of emergency has already been declared. According to Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, more than 1,260 square kilometres and 93 settlements have been occupied. Russian author…