Four dead and dozens wounded following Russian strikes, according to the Ukrainian National Police

“Currently, about 300 Belgorod residents, who decided to temporarily evacuate, are being accommodated in reception centers in Stary Oskol, Gubkin and Korochansky districts.”Farther from the Ukrainian border, the governor of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced in a video posted on Monday. cable. The Russian city, located near the border with Ukraine, has been the target of several attacks in recent days attributed to the Ukrainian armed forces.

According to Mr. Gladkov, “For the past twenty-four hours [les autorités locales ont] Received 1,300 requests to send children from Belgorod to school camps outside the city and to other regions ». On Friday, the official suggested that residents wishing to do so evacuate the city. The action, unprecedented for a large city in Russia, is at odds with the Kremlin, which has always sought to give the image, since the nearly two years of the attack in Ukraine, that the conflict has not directly affected the daily lives and security of Russians. .

But this strategy was shattered on December 30, when 25 people lost their lives in Belgorod in a Ukrainian attack, the highest number of civilian deaths on Russian soil since Moscow began its offensive against its neighbour, on February 24, 2022. Then attacks by the Kiev army increased. , especially using missiles.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced this on Monday “object” 7 a.m. Ukrainian S-200 air missile “Above Belgorod region”. For his part, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that he had made contact with his counterparts in the states of Voronezh, Kaluga, Tambov and Yaroslavl, in order to communicate with them. “helps”. The manager also said Monday morning ” meeting “ About the bombings.

In a sign of growing concern, the Belgorod municipality called on its residents on Friday, for the first time in two years, to secure their windows. “to protect yourself” Possible glass fragments in the face of Ukrainian strikes. In this context, the regional authorities also postponed the start of the school year in Belgorod and its surrounding areas, from January 9 to 19.