Russia restricts access to fourteen villages due to Ukrainian bombing
The regional government of Russia’s Belgorod region will restrict access to fourteen villages located on the border with Ukraine. Women and children will no longer be allowed to enter the area. The measure was taken because of bombing by Ukrainian troops, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Tuesday.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly 2.5 years ago, Ukrainian drone and artillery attacks have also been a regular occurrence in the Russian border region of Belgorod. Kiev says it only attacks military targets, but Russia regularly reports civilian casualties.
Access to the fourteen sites will be restricted starting next Tuesday, July 23, due to the “extremely difficult operational situation” caused by the bombing, Gladkov said via the Telegram messaging service. “Checkpoints will be set up on access roads to these sites and law enforcement officers will be deployed there.”
In concrete terms, the measure means that women and children are no longer allowed to enter the area. Adult men are still allowed access, but only under strict conditions. They must wear bulletproof vests and helmets, or be accompanied by soldiers in armored vehicles.
Public transportation or taxis are no longer available. “We have lost many civilians, many are injured. Of course, our duty is to take maximum security measures,” Gladkov defended the decision.
In response to Ukraine’s offensive on the border, Russia launched a new offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region more than two months ago. But Gladkov’s announcement seems to indicate that Russia has failed to create the buffer zone it had hoped for.
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