MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The Kremlin on Wednesday said the situation in Russian areas hit by massive floods was “very tense,” warning that water levels were still rising and could affect more regions.

Whole villages and cities in Russia’s southern Urals and western Siberia have been engulfed by overflowing rivers, with the Orenburg region the worst affected.

“The situation is very, very tense,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

“The water is continuing to rise. Large (amounts of) water are coming to new regions.”

He said that President Vladimir Putin was not intending to visit the flood zone, where thousands have been evacuated.

“At the moment, there are no such (plans),” Peskov said.

He said the Russian leader is “getting information and coordinated the work of all branches of authorities.”

Russia and neighboring Kazakhstan have been battling the floods for days.

The Ural river in the Orenburg region began to flood the main city, Orenburg, on Wednesday. The hub has a population of 550,000.

The river had already almost entirely flooded the city of Orsk.