(AFP) – Russian officials in the southern border city of Belgorod on Friday offered to evacuate worried residents, an unprecedented announcement following a series of deadly attacks by Ukraine.
The Kremlin has sought to maintain a facade of normalcy on the domestic front, but the recent attack on Belgorod has brought the Ukraine conflict closer to home for Russians.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's vow that frightened civilians can be relocated is the most far-reaching step taken by a major Russian city since Moscow ordered the invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
“I have seen several appeals on social media where people wrote, 'We are scared, please help us go to a safe place,'” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a video message.
“Of course we will! We have already moved several families,” he added.
His offer came a day after overnight shelling injured at least two people and smashed glass on a high-rise building, causing widespread concern among residents.
In response to the shelling, city officials urged residents early Friday to tape up their windows to prevent them from being shattered by the blast. The measures are spreading across Ukraine.
Less than a week ago, 25 people were killed in Ukrainian shelling in Belgorod. This was the worst attack on Russian civilians since the conflict began.
14 people, including 2 children, killed in Ukrainian shelling in Belgorod, Russiahttps://t.co/6oFAiaYxp9
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 30, 2023
Gladkov said the residents would be moved further from the border to the towns of Stary Oskol and Gubkin, where they would be housed in “comfortable conditions.”
“We will stay there as long as we need to,” he added, but warned there was not enough temporary accommodation to accommodate everyone.
“I will appeal to my colleagues and other regional governors to cooperate,” he said.
His announcement came hours after the United States accused Russia of using weapons provided by North Korea and Ukraine said it could not confirm that Russia fired North Korean missiles into Ukraine. I was disappointed.
The White House announced late Thursday that Russia is also seeking missiles from ally Iran, which is using North Korea's weapons and eating up its critical munitions stockpile.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the extradition a “grave and alarming escalation” but said Ukraine had no evidence of independence.
“So far, there is no information that such missiles were used. The United States has issued a statement to that effect,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat told state media.
“Therefore, experts can examine the wreckage and determine whether that is the case. We cannot confirm that yet,” it added.
Amid a fierce war of attrition, Kiev and Moscow are struggling to replenish their stockpiles of artillery shells, drones and long-range missiles.
Kirby said the North Korean-supplied missiles, which have a range of about 900 kilometers, were launched by Russia in two attacks within the past week.
He said at least one North Korean-supplied missile landed in a field in the Zaporizhzhya region on December 30.
It is one of four regions the Kremlin claims it annexed in September 2022, but still does not fully control.
The Russian military then launched “several” ballistic missiles toward Ukraine as part of a large-scale airstrike on January 2, he added.
On the same day, Russia rained missiles down on Ukraine's two largest cities, Kiev and Kharkov. Ukraine struck back in the Russian border city of Belgorod, forcing the closure of schools.
Ukraine sends new wave of drones to Russia and occupied cities https://t.co/7MjziK6Yhw
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 5, 2024
Kirby said the North Korean missiles highlighted the need for the U.S. Congress to pass a large military aid package for Ukraine, adding that without it, the aid pipeline would soon dry up.
He said Ukraine's air defense, which has been under attack by Russian airstrikes in recent days, was “absolutely” a priority.
In October, the United States announced that North Korea had handed over more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to Russia, the first time it had reported the use of such weapons.
Ukraine has significantly increased its air defense systems since last winter, when Russia's coordinated attacks on its energy infrastructure left millions in the cold and darkness for long periods of time.
The Air Force said Friday that Russia launched nearly 30 Iranian-designed attack drones overnight, and 21 were shot down.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian attack over Crimea and shot down 36 drones over the peninsula, which was annexed in 2014.
