Air raid sirens blare almost daily in the southern Russian city of Belgorod, sending people running for cover and reminding residents that all-out war in neighboring Ukraine is a reality for them too.
Compared with the devastation in much of Ukraine, Russia’s vast territory remained largely unscathed.
The main exception is Belgorod, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border, a reminder that not every civilian is immune to the conflict.
Russians began early voting in a three-day presidential election on Friday after missile warnings forced election officials to take shelter at a polling station in Belgorod and voting was temporarily suspended, Russia’s official news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Vladimir Seleznyov, a pensioner who witnessed the Feb. 15 missile attack on Plekhanov Street that killed seven people, said it was difficult to get used to the danger.
“Of course, the situation is difficult, but we live close to the border. It would be an exaggeration to say we are used to it,” he told Reuters during a recent visit to a city that has little access to international media.
“It’s understood that naturally we will win, we will win, but people are concerned and worried,” he said.
The ancient fortress town, now a modern city of 300,000, is once again on the Russian frontline, where dozens of civilians have been killed in Ukrainian drone and missile attacks since February 2022. Two people were killed on Saturday.
Kyiv denies targeting civilians like Moscow, even though Russia has launched drones and missiles into Ukraine, killing thousands of civilians and causing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of damage.
On December 30, Belgorod suffered a missile attack, killing 25 people and injuring more than 100 people. This was the internationally recognized worst civilian casualty caused by foreign enemy artillery fire on Russian territory since World War II.
Even though President Vladimir Putin is almost certain to be re-elected in the March 15-17 vote, he remains as popular in Belgorod as he is across Russia, underscoring how the war inspiring support for him.
He called it a “special military operation” and saw it as part of a long-running struggle against a decadent West that humiliated Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Ukraine and its Western allies said the invasion was an aggressive and illegal land grab.
combat readiness
For the residents of Belgorod, chaos was a regular occurrence and signs of war were obvious.
Soldiers walked the streets and cement blocks were placed at bus stops to protect people from potential explosions.
Elementary schools have moved to online-only classes, while secondary schools are operating on a hybrid home and classroom model, similar to how many Ukrainian institutions operate.
When missile threat warnings sound, buses stop running, forcing people to get off and walk. Shopping can be complicated, and appointments are often canceled. Thousands of people left surrounding areas to avoid danger.
Civilian volunteer groups in Belgorod are supporting the soldiers, a phenomenon common in Russia and Ukraine.
Galina collects daily hygiene products and tools for digging trenches and sends them to the army, where she says she helps efforts to end the conflict.
Echoing rhetoric used by the Kremlin to describe Kiev’s leadership, she said it was necessary to “denazify” Ukraine and end “fascism” there. Ukraine and its allies dismiss such comments as nonsense and point out that President Zelensky is Jewish.
“There is no other option,” Galina, who gave only her first name, said as she stood in a warehouse filled with supplies for soldiers.
“I believe in his work [Putin] Special military operations have begun and he must complete it,” she said.
cross-border intrusion
Russian troops foiled a Ukrainian cross-border attack on the Belgorod region the day before, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
Ukraine used helicopters to land up to 30 soldiers near the border village of Kozinka, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement. They were allegedly repelled by Russian soldiers and border guards.
Two Russian border provinces, Belgorod and neighboring Kursk, have come under attack by anti-Kremlin Russian armed groups in Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said earlier on Friday.
The town of Shebekino, about 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the border with the Belgorod region, was shelled by armed infiltrators in May and June last year. Roads were left with craters, and buildings were hit and damaged.
At that time, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov escorted about 600 children from the Shebekino and Graivoron regions to the cities of Yaroslavl and Kaluga, far away from the Ukrainian border.
Pensioner Valentina said she too left Shebekino temporarily last summer at the persuasion of her daughter and then returned.
She said she hoped the war would end soon and people who left the town could come back.
“Everyone wants to go home,” she said, adding that she planned to vote for Putin. “He must end this war.”
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