Authorities in the Belgorod region declared a regionwide state of emergency on Wednesday, saying the situation was “extremely difficult” amid shelling attacks and Ukraine’s assault on the neighbouring Kursk region.
“The situation in our Belgorod region remains extremely difficult and tense due to shellings from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Houses are destroyed, civilians died and were injured,” Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.
He added that from Wednesday “a state of emergency will be introduced on the regional level, followed by a request to the governmental commission to declare a federal state of emergency.”
Belgorod borders Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and neighbours Kursk, where Ukraine last week launched a surprise offensive in what has become the most significant attack on Russian soil since World War II.
Gladkov also said Belgorod had come under attack overnight from Ukrainian drones.
“Two settlements in Belgorod region were attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ drones. There were no casualties,” he said.
“In Shebekino, as a result of several drone attacks on an apartment building, one apartment caught fire and slabs collapsed. The gas supply line was also damaged,” Gladkov said.
The governor of the Kursk region last week also declared a state of emergency following the incursion by Ukrainian forces, which he said had penetrated at least 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into the territory and captured 28 towns and villages.
President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the military to “dislodge” Ukrainian troops who have entered Russian territory.
Some 121,000 people have fled Kursk since the start of the fighting, which has killed at least 12 civilians and injured 121 more, regional governor Alexei Smirnov said during a meeting with Putin.
Authorities in Kursk announced on Monday they were widening their evacuation area to include the Belovsky district, home to some 14,000 residents.
Neighboring Belgorod also said it was evacuating its border district of Krasnoyaruzhsky.
