Settlements in Russia’s Belgorod border region targeted by Ukraine shelling: Governor

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said on Monday that several frontier settlements were being shelled simultaneously by Ukrainian forces.

In a statement published on the Telegram messaging app, Vyacheslav Gladkov said two industrial facilities in the border town of Shebekino had been shelled and four employees had been wounded.

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Several settlements were left without electricity, he added.

Belgorod, which borders Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, has repeatedly come under attack from Kyiv’s forces since the beginning of the full-scale conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.

Last week, Ukrainian forces undertook a major cross-border raid on a series of border villages, briefly seizing several settlements before withdrawing over the frontier.

Kyiv almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has said that destroying infrastructure is preparation for a planned ground assault.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered stronger border security to ensure “fast” Russian military and civilian movement into the Ukrainian regions now under Moscow’s control.

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