Windows shatter, rocket parts smash into the street and power plants go up in flames – the Russian city of Belgorod feels the war in Ukraine very closely. Citizens no longer feel safe. More and more people are leaving the city and moving further inland. There is a gloomy atmosphere of doom, says opposition activist Ilya Kostyukov, who lives in Belgorod, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
The city is only 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Since February, rocket launches and military aircraft have been heard every day. Projectiles repeatedly hit substations, oil depots, shopping centers and residential buildings in the city and in the villages near the border. It is not clear whether the shelling came from Ukraine or part of Russia’s missile defense system. One thing is clear: the residents no longer feel safe in Belgorod.
There are no sirens when rockets fly over the city, and no air raid shelters either. Instead, the governor advises setting up your own basement so that you can stay in it for a while. On social media, people are wondering how sensible this is.
A woman living in a multi-storey building writes on social media “Vkontakte”: “We are going to be buried!” War fatigue spreads among the inhabitants.
People from Belgorod have to leave buildings
“I understand that residents are very concerned about their lives and that of their children,” Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram on Thursday. According to his instructions, 56 people, including 32 children, have been taken to the city of Tula because it is no longer safe enough. “I really hope that the enforced absence of the inhabitants of our region will not last long and that they can return home soon.”
Local media reported a few weeks ago that more than 3,500 people from the border villages have left their homes since the start of the war.
According to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, there are already information sheets on how to protect yourself in the stairwells of some buildings in Belgorod. In case of fire, it is better to stay away from the windows. In addition, local media are circulating video tutorials on the treatment of severe bleeding and head injuries. Uncertainty and fear reign in Belgorod because the war is unfolding on their doorstep. (jwg)
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