A T-72B3 tank of the Russian Army's "West" troop division Tuesday fires at positions of "Ukrainian saboteur" groups in Belgorod's border territory amid escalating violence from both sides with civilians caught in the middle. Photo courtesy of Russian Defense Ministry/EPA-EFE
March 20 (UPI) -- Ukrainian bombardment of the southern Russian city of Belgorod and surrounding areas has forced the evacuation of up to 9,000 children from the region that borders Ukraine, authorities said.
The decision to remove the children from the danger to other regions of the Russian Federation was made at a meeting Tuesday of the presidium of the General Council of United Russia after shelling this week killed 16 people and injured 98, said regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.
A barrage on Tuesday injured three people, including a child, according to the governor.
The first batch of more than a thousand children are due to depart Friday for safer areas hundreds of miles to the north and northeast in central Russia and the Volga.
"We are resettling a large number of villages and plan to remove about 9,000 children from Belgorod, Belgorodsky district, Shebekinsky district and Grayvoronsky district. On March 22, 1,200 children are going to Penza, Tambov and Kaluga," Gladkov said.
He said that arrangements were in place for the next group of children to be sent to the Stavropol region of southern Russia, 640 miles away in the Caucasus, but did not state when the evacuation would get underway.
The move comes after orders for shopping centers in Belgorod city to close Sunday and Monday were extended to schools, with students ordered to stay home Monday and Tuesday.
The Russian Defense Ministry, which said its air defenses shot down nine Ukrainian shells over Belgorod on Tuesday, claimed to have mounted pre-emptive strikes against two "Ukrainian saboteur" units, one near the Ukraine-Belgorod border and the other near the border with the Kursk region.
The border region is still roiling from twin air and ground offensives a week ago, with waves of drones hitting seven regions, striking fuel and energy infrastructure deep in the interior and an armored cross-border incursion by pro-Ukrainian, ethnic Russian militias.
Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged the actions were an attempt to disrupt the presidential election. In the end, the poll over three days went ahead without incident, concluding Sunday night with an expected landslide victory for Putin that drew ire from abroad amid allegations of fraud, as well as the removal of opposition candidates and the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Communities on the other side of the border are also being forced to evacuate their homes amid an intensification of bombardment by Russian forces.
Authorities in Ukraine's eastern Sumy region, to the north of Kharkiv, said more than 150 people had been forced to flee due to an uptick in shelling.
Bilopillia Mayor Yuriy Zarko reported at least two blasts Tuesday in the city, 30 miles northwest of the capital, Sumy, and close to the border with Russia's Kursk province.
"There were two explosions. It is not yet clear whether they were missiles or KABs [laser-guided bombs]. A critical infrastructure facility was hit and the houses of local residents were also damaged. There is no information about injuries or deaths.
"The scale of the destruction is being clarified," Zarko said.
On Sunday, waves of Ukrainian attack drones launched against targets from the Caucasus to Moscow and beyond killed two people and injured 11.
Energy-producing facilities appeared to be the principal target, with a major refinery in the southern Krasdonar region badly damaged, but drones menacing the capital forced three of Moscow's five airports to shut temporarily.
