Moscow is pulling its citizens out of a second border area as Kiev advances on with its unexpected one-week blitz within the Russian territory.
Around 11,000 people in the Belgorod region have been evacuated over the last week because of the “actions of the enemy near the state border,” Russia state media reported.
Belgorod is situated near Kursk, the place where the Ukrainian forces invaded Russian territory on Tuesday last week.
Ukrainian forces have since entered Russia up to 30 km—in some instances even 90 km—deep into Russian territory—the furthest Ukrainian forces have gone since the start of Russia’s full-spectrum invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv said on Saturday that it had been building up its forces, and thousands Israel intensifies attacks in Gaza, displaces thousandsof troops are reported to be engaged.
On Monday morning, the inhabitants of some districts of Belgorod—the territory is situated to the south from Kursk—were given rather provocative messages—’do’not get nervous’—but ‘ ‘it is necessary to leave’.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said people from Krasnaya Yaruga district were being relocated because of “activities of the enemy near the border.”.
He also said that the whole region is under missile alert and ordered people to get in to the basements.
But he said that he was ‘certain that our servicemen will try to prevent what has become a threat’.
They were also being evacuated on Monday from Kursk, and, he said, thousands of residents of the Belovsky district have been told to leave their homes.
Governor Alexei Smirnov also ordered a missile alert, telling residents that they should expect an airstrike and should take cover in rooms with no windows and made out of thick walls.
Temporary accommodation has been prepared for them, the speaker pointed out.
