The authorities of the Russian region of Belgrorod, bordering Ukraine and targeted by intensifying Ukrainian bombings, offered residents who wish to evacuate this Friday, January 5.
3 mins
This is a first since Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine almost two years ago. In a message published on social networks, the governor of the Belgorod region suggests that the city’s residents take shelter in locations further from the border. “ Starting today, we are ready to transport you ”, declares Vyacheslav Gladkov, and to accommodate you “ in comfortable conditions, for as long as necessary “.
Belgorod, 300,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the province of the same name. In 2023, several localities located near the border had to be evacuated, but this is the first time that a city of this size has been affected by these measures. In his message, the governor describes the situation in the city as difficult, describing damaged streets and broadcasting photos of the damage caused during the night by Ukrainian gunfire: broken windows, overturned or charred cars…
This unprecedented measure for a large city in Russia is at odds with the efforts of the Kremlin which has always strived to give the image, since almost two years of invasion, that the conflict is not does not directly affect the daily lives and security of Russians. This strategy was shattered on December 30 when 25 people lost their lives in Belgorod in a Ukrainian attackthe deadliest civilian death toll on Russian soil since the start of the assault on Moscow on February 24, 2022.
Back to school postponed
A sign of growing concern, earlier in the day, the city of Belgorod had already called for the first time on its residents to secure their windows to “ to protect yourself » possible shards of glass in the face of the Ukrainian bombings which are increasing there. The day before, the regional authorities had announced to postpone the start of the school year from January 9 to 19 in the city and in some surrounding areas.
Hostilities further increased between Russians and Ukrainians at the turn of the new year, with an increase in particularly deadly strikes. In retaliation for the unprecedented attack on Belgorod, Vladimir Putin promised to “intensify” Russian strikes against ” military targets ” in Ukraine. During the night from Thursday to Friday, Russia attacked its neighbor with 29 “Shahed” drones, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which claimed to have shot down 21, without mentioning the damage caused by those which passed between the meshes of the net. Further south, the Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office reported four wounded in a strike in Kherson, an almost daily target of Russian bombings.
In this context, municipal authorities in kyiv requested “ urgently » to residents of the capital not to take part in mass events on Saturday to celebrate Epiphany. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that it had “ detected and destroyed » at midday a Ukrainian Neptune missile over the Black Sea.
(With AFP)