A Russian border area under heavy Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks is widening its school and college closures due to a large evacuation plan, officials said on Wednesday. This comes as Kyiv's forces continue their campaign of long-range strikes to pressure the Kremlin.
Ukraine is facing a shortage of ammunition supplies along the 620-mile front line due to a lack of expected Western supplies, which is a major reason why its army is taking a more defensive position. However, it is also targeting oil facilities deep inside Russia and attempting to unsettle the border regions of Russia.
The regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced that some schools near the border in Belgorod will close early before the school holidays, as Ukrainian shelling has led to deaths and injuries among the local population.
According to him, schools in and around the city of Belgorod will be closed from Wednesday to Friday. Additionally, universities and colleges will switch to remote learning, and clubs, cultural, sports, and other educational institutions will remain closed.
These measures were announced after the governor unveiled plans to evacuate about 9,000 children from the region, and several days after Russia's strongly endorsed presidential election, where President Vladimir Putin extended his rule by a large margin.
Despite the attacks, the official voter turnout in the Belgorod region was 87%, and Putin officially won 90.66% of the vote, which has been denounced as fraudulent by Ukraine and its Western allies.
The Kremlin has been embarrassed by Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory. An artillery strike on the center of Belgorod city on December 30 killed 21 people, including three children, according to local officials.
On Wednesday, Putin promised to provide assistance for Belgorod civilians who have lost their homes and businesses.
“There is a lot to do and we will do everything which depends on us,” he said at a televised meeting at the Kremlin. “Of course, the primary task is to ensure safety. There are different ways to do this. They are not easy, but we will do it.”
As Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 13 Ukrainian rockets over the Belgorod region on Wednesday morning, Governor Gladkov stated that three people, including a 17-year-old girl, were killed and two others were injured in the “massive shelling” of Belgorod city, the regional capital. He also mentioned that 16 people have been killed in just the past week.