Nine villages in Russia’s Belgorod region were evacuated following a series of attacks on Monday, and the governor warned civilians who fled that it’s not safe to return.
“The cleaning of the territory by the ministry of defense together with law enforcement agencies continues. We will immediately notify residents, and I will publish on my social networks, when it is safe [to return],” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Tuesday on Telegram.
Belgorod has experienced brief conflicts since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his invasion of Ukraine, but the recent skirmishes in the area have been characterized as some of the largest during the 15 months of war. The U.K.’s Ministry of Defense said Russian security forces clashed with attackers in at least three places within the Belgorod region beginning on Friday before Monday’s escalation.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed that authorities killed more than 70 Ukrainian nationalists who allegedly crossed into the Russian region, but Newsweek could not independently verify the information. Kyiv has denied involvement in the attacks, and two groups who have said they are responsible identify as Russian dissidents.
Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP/Getty
According to the Associated Press, Russian news outlet RBK reported that the Belgorod town of Graivoron came under “heavy shelling” early on Monday, while the nearby village of Kozinka was later hit with mortar and rocket strikes. Ten armored vehicles and undisclosed number of troops were reportedly responsible for the attacks, according to AP.
Gladkov later said an elderly woman from Kozinka died during the evacuation, while a dozen civilians were reportedly injured in the attacks.
According to Gladkov, houses and a government building were struck by drones during the fighting in Belgorod, which is considered a military hub for Putin’s forces.
The two Russian anti-government groups that have claimed responsibility for the attacks—the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom for Russia Legion—have declared that they are fighting on Ukraine’s side.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Kyiv believes Russian dissidents were behind the attacks.
“These are Russian patriots who want to change the political regime in the country,” Maliar said on Ukrainian TV, according to a translation from the BBC.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov inferred without evidence that the attackers came from Ukraine.
“The nationalists’ remnants were pushed back to Ukrainian territory where they continued to be struck by firepower until they were totally eliminated,” Konashenkov said, according to the Russian state media outlet Tass. “Over 70 Ukrainian terrorists, four armored combat vehicles and five pickup trucks were destroyed.”
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.
