Putin promises measures to protect inhabitants of border regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this Wednesday that he will take measures to guarantee security in provinces bordering Ukraine, following several Ukrainian attacks against the Belgorod region.

Putin said, during a meeting with senior government officials, that Russian authorities are studying the issue to “improve the living conditions of residents” of these areas and highlighted that the “main task is to guarantee their security”.

“There are different ways [para o conseguir]but none of them are easy”, he declared, according to information collected by the Russian news agency Interfax, adding: “We will do it anyway”.

The Russian leader said he admired the courage of the residents of Belgorod and other regions close to the border with Ukraine and expressed his gratitude.

Putin, who has just been re-elected for a fifth term until 2030, also stated that “all civilians and targets affected by Ukrainian attacks will receive support from the authorities.”

This aid is intended for “all those who lost their businesses or their homes”, he said, leaving a promise to do everything possible.

Belgorod has been under intense attack by Ukrainian forces in recent days and today three civilians died in a new attack according to the local governor, Viachestlav Gladkov.

“Since the early hours of the morning, the Graivoron district has been under massive bombardment, including missiles. Two civilians died in Graivoron, at the time of the attack the men were on the street,” he said on the Telegram network.

Earlier, Gladkov reported a missile attack on the regional capital, which was repelled by the anti-aircraft system.

However, a man lost his life after being injured by fragments of a missile that hit the vehicle he was traveling in: “He died at the scene, before the ambulance arrived”, described the governor.

Authorities in the Belgorod region announced on Tuesday that, due to Ukrainian incursions and attacks, they plan to remove around nine thousand children to safe territories.

Last week alone, 16 inhabitants of this region died and 98 were injured as a result of Ukrainian attacks, according to the governor.

Russia has been reporting daily for several days the shooting down of ‘drones’ and missiles in regions bordering Ukraine, particularly in Belgorod, and has suffered several incursions by Russian volunteer militias fighting on the Ukrainian side.