The governor of Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, on Sunday called on residents to evacuate areas under bombardment that have intensified in recent days.
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Chebekino district, a town of 40,000 people in the Belgorod region, was hit by hundreds of artillery shells that killed several people and forced thousands of civilians to flee this week.
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I demand that the inhabitants of the localities that are being bombed, especially those in the Chebekino district, follow the instructions of the authorities and temporarily leave their homes," Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
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Armed incursions into Russian territory
According to him, these evacuations must make it possible to "save lives". He added that shelling again hit the Chebekino and Volokonovsky districts overnight, causing "a lot of damage" but no casualties.
Hundreds of shots fired on the region on Friday and Saturday left at least seven dead and about thirty wounded, according to regional authorities.
On Sunday, the governor said more than 4000,<> people who fled the bombing were temporarily housed in reception centers in the region.
The conflict with Ukraine, which the Kremlin has long minimized, now fully affects some Russian border regions, in particular that of Belgorod, hit by bombings and even armed incursions.
The Russian military claimed Thursday to have repelled a Ukrainian attempt to "invade" the Belgorod region, a week after a spectacular incursion by armed men that sparked shock and showed the vulnerability of Russia's borders.
These incursions were claimed by groups claiming to be Russian and fighting for Kiev. The Ukrainian authorities deny any involvement.
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