Some 120 civilians have been killed in southwestern Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.
Belgorod has been repeatedly targeted by what Russian officials have called indiscriminate Ukrainian attacks since the start of the conflict.
“The situation is extremely complicated, the [cross-border] shelling continues and people keep dying,” Gladkov said in a video address published on his Telegram channel late Monday.
According to his figures, the 120 victims in the Belgorod region include 11 children. Another 651 have been wounded, including 51 children, some of whom had their arms and legs amputated.
The independent regional news outlet 7×7 said Gladkov’s tally of 11 killed children matches its own. But 7×7 noted that it has counted at least 134 Belgorod region residents killed in the more than two-year-long war.
Overall, 7×7 said 186 civilians have been killed in Russian regions that neighbor Ukraine since the start of the invasion.
