Vladimir Putin has been dealt a fresh, massive blow as residents have been urged to evacuate, head to shelters or go down to their basements as Ukrainian forces continue to advance into Russia.
Russia‘s Belgorod border region is under missile alert, an official has said, amid a growing threat from Ukrainian troops.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has urged residents in the area to head to shelters.
“The entire territory of the Belgorod region is a MISSILE DANGER. Go down to the basement. Stay there until you receive the signal ‘all clear missile danger’,” according to a translation of his message on Telegram.
It comes afterv Moscow was forced to partially evacuate a second region on August 12.
The Russian territory bordering Ukraine has suffered several incursions since the beginning of the unlawful invasion ordered by Putin in February 2022. However, these were reportedly carried out by sabotage groups supporting Kyiv.
On the other hand, this massive operation marks the biggest coordinated attack on Russian territory by conventional forces since the beginning of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky directly acknowledged the attack for the first time on the weekend, saying it involved some 2,000 people.
In his evening address to the war-torn country delivered on August 10, he said: “Artillery, mortars, drones. We also record missile strikes, and each such strike deserves a fair response.”
Ukraine‘s forces are believed to have advanced up to 30km into Russia as of Sunday.
Maria Zakharova, speaking for the Moscow’s foreign ministry, has levelled accusations at Kyiv for “intimidating the peaceful population of Russia“.
Soldiers were seen taking down the Russian flag at an administrative building in Guevo, a village roughly 3km within Russian territory.
Footage has also surfaced showing Ukrainian forces taking control of government buildings in both Sverdlikovo and Poroz, with news of fierce combat erupting in Sudzha, a settlement housing close to 5,000 residents.
Adding to their advances, Ukrainian units have captured video evidence of themselves just outside Sudzha at a significant gas facility pivotal for the transit of natural gas from Russia to the EU via Ukraine, operations which persist amidst the conflict.