Ukraine intensifies attacks and Russia orders ‘urgent evacuation’ of nine thousand children

Ukraine continues to intensely bomb the Russian border region of Belgorod in a wave of attacks that began on the eve of the Russian presidential elections. According to local authorities, 16 people have been killed and 98 injured since last week. An urgent evacuation of children was also announced.

The most recent bombings have hit civilian areas. This Wednesday (20), one person was killed and two were injured in Ukrainian attacks, according to information from the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov. Additionally, several apartments in 12 buildings and three schools, including two kindergartens, were damaged.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the bombings carried out by Ukrainian troops in Belgorod were using the RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket system.

Russian air defense systems, according to the ministry, destroyed 13 rockets in the air at around 11:30 am (local time, 5:30 am Brasília) this Wednesday.

The Belgorod region has been the target of shelling and drone attacks, and now missile attacks, by the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2022. Recently, these cases have become more frequent. Missile threat warnings sound constantly in the region.

Putin: “We can respond in kind”

Commenting on the bombing during a meeting in the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to “express words of gratitude and admiration for the residents of the Belgorod region and other border regions.”

“I want to express my gratitude for your courage. And, of course, we will do everything to support people: those who lost their businesses, and ordinary citizens who lost their homes, and many others, I won’t list them all. There is something to work on and we will do everything that depends on us”, said the president.

Putin added that Russian authorities will work to ensure the safety of residents of the border regions.

“The main task is to ensure security. There are different ways here, they are not simple, but we will do it. I’ve already talked about this, I just don’t want to go into details now in a solemn atmosphere. But we will certainly work on it,” she said.

Vladimir Putin also commented on the fact that Ukrainian attacks see him hitting civilian targets in Belgorod and said that Russia could do the same.

“Dear, we can respond in kind. We can respond in the same way. Against civil infrastructure and all other objects of this type that the enemy attacks. We have our own views on this matter and our own plans. We will continue with what we determined”, he highlighted.

The city of Belgorod has half a million inhabitants and is located near the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian city of Kharkov is located approximately the same distance from the border, and Russian attacks in this region have also systematically targeted residential areas, causing the deaths of hundreds of civilians since the start of the conflict.

Urgent evacuation of children

Last Tuesday (19), the evacuation of 9,000 children to other regions was announced amid bombings by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The territory has been the target of constant attacks from Ukraine and is the region of Russia most directly affected by the war.

Governor Gladkov noted that as a result of Ukrainian shelling in the region, 16 civilians were killed and 98 were injured over the past week. He also said that the Grayvoronsky district of the Belgorod region was isolated as a result of Ukrainian attacks last Tuesday (19). “In the morning, our station was completely destroyed. The district is completely without power,” he said.

Due to the attacks on March 16, Gladkov said the work of educational institutions and shopping centers in Belgorod would be limited. Therefore, authorities planned that shopping centers would be closed and classes, including distance learning, would be canceled in schools and colleges until the end of the week.