RUSSIA EVACUATES BORDER VILLAGES IN BELGOROD REGION DUE TO ATTACKS FROM UKRAINE Russia plans to evacuate about 9,000 children
A Russian border region being pounded by Ukrainian shelling and drones is expanding its closure of schools and colleges amid a major evacuation plan, authorities announced Wednesday, as Kyiv’s forces extend their campaign of long-range strikes that aim to put the Kremlin under pressure.
Ukraine lacks ammunition supplies along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line due to a shortfall in promised Western supplies, which is one of the main factors forcing its army to take a more defensive stance. But at the same time, it is attacking oil facilities deep inside Russia and seeking to unnerve Russia’s border regions.
Some Belgorod schools near the border will close early ahead of the school holidays, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov announced, after Ukraine shelling continued to cause deaths and injuries among the local population.
Schools in and around the city of Belgorod will close Wednesday through Friday, he said. Also, universities and colleges will switch to remote learning, and clubs and cultural, sports and other educational institutions will stay closed.
The measures were announced a day after the governor unveiled plans to evacuate about 9,000 children from the region and several days after a rubber-stamp presidential election in Russia in which President Vladimir Putin extended his rule in a landslide victory.