Another restless night in Belgorod. This Russian region, bordering Ukraine, was the subject of "numerous drone attacks" during the night, said the governor of the territory, Vyacheslav Gladkov. In recent days, this territory has experienced several incursions by armed groups from Ukraine.
"The anti-aircraft defense took care of a large part of them," the Governor of Belgorod pointed out. He said the attacks had damaged vehicles, homes and public buildings in the area, but no casualties.
Nine civilians injured during the incursion are still hospitalized, including three in intensive care, Vyacheslav Gladkov said in the morning. More than 550 civilians who fled the Graivoron district because of the fighting are currently in temporary accommodation centers, he added.
“As soon as the security forces have finished clearing the territory and given their consent, I hope you can return to your homes […]. Yesterday was still dangerous,” Vyacheslav Gladkov continued to his constituents.
On Tuesday, the Russian army claimed to have "crushed" with its air force and artillery a group that had attacked the region the day before, the most spectacular incursion into Russian territory since the start of the conflict. According to the Russian authorities, a civilian was killed in the village of Kozinka, one of the localities attacked, and a woman died of heart failure during its evacuation. The incursion was claimed by Russian armed groups based in Ukraine wanting to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow has assured that it will respond "extremely firmly" to new armed incursions, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised on Wednesday. "We will continue to respond quickly and extremely strongly to such actions," Shoigu said during a meeting with senior military officials.
