First aid courses, school closures, and evacuations

In a Russian border city, shelling attacks are becoming a dangerous new normal

The Russian city of Belgorod, which lies less than 20 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border, has faced near-constant shelling attacks over the past week and a half. On January 2, according to the Belgorod region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, one person was killed and 11 were injured when the city came under fire from a Vilkha heavy multiple rocket launcher. Two days later, another attack reportedly left two people injured. On January 5, the authorities warned residents of the threat of more missile attacks, and on January 6 and 7, the district containing Belgorod came under fire again.

On January 4, Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov reported that a total of 573 apartments and 46 houses had been damaged in the attacks so far. As of January 6, at least 519 vehicles had reportedly been damaged. The authorities have promised to repair all damaged building facades by January 22 and to complete interior repairs by February 2.

The city’s shopping centers closed for several days. City authorities initially announced that the malls would be closed on January 3–4 due to the attacks, but the closure was later extended an extra day. The malls resumed operating on January 6. Additionally, the city’s Russian Orthodox Christmas services, which were scheduled to take place on the night of January 7, were canceled. On January 6, the authorities began holding free first aid courses at several locations in the city.

Local authorities have offered to help residents evacuate from the city. On January 5, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced that anyone who wants to leave Belgorod can call the mayor’s office to receive assistance moving to another nearby city, where they will be given hotel accommodations. He promised that if the number of people wishing to leave is too great, the Belgorod authorities will reach out to other regions about hosting the evacuees. On January 8, Gladkov reported that about 300 people had taken advantage of the offer and been sent to temporary shelters in the towns of Stary Oskol and Gubkin as well as the Korochansky District.

The holiday break for Belgorod schools was extended until January 19. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov will decide on January 16 whether to extend it further. The authorities have offered to send children whose parents have to work to recreational camps in other regions to prevent them from having to stay home alone during the day. On January 8, Gladkov reported that his administration had received 1,300 applications for these camps in the previous 24 hours.

On December 30, Belgorod suffered its largest shelling attack since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Twenty-five people were killed and more than 100 were injured. Ukrainian media reported that anonymous sources from the country’s intelligence agencies called the attack a response to Russia’s massive missile attack against Ukrainian cities the previous day. On January 1, Vladimir Putin said that the December 30 attack on Belgorod was a “terrorist act” and threatened to increase Russia’s strikes against Ukraine.