BELGOROD, Russia — 

Every day, the air raid sirens in the southern Russian city of Belgorod can be heard blaring, causing people to quickly seek shelter and serving as a constant reminder to residents that the neighboring country of Ukraine is embroiled in a full-scale war, which also poses a threat to their city.

In contrast to the devastation in many parts of Ukraine, the extensive land of Russia has mostly remained unharmed.

Belgorod, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border, is the main exception, a reminder that not every civilian can be shielded from the conflict.

On Friday, Russians started casting their votes in the three-day presidential election. During this time, a missile alarm interrupted the proceedings and election officials had to seek shelter at a polling station in Belgorod. The voting process was temporarily suspended, as reported by Russia’s RIA state news agency.

Vladimir Seleznyov, a pensioner who witnessed a missile attack on Plekhanov Street on February 15 in which seven people were killed, said it was hard to grow accustomed to the danger.

“Although the situation is challenging, we are accustomed to it due to our proximity to the border,” he informed Reuters during a recent trip to the city, which is rarely accessible to international media.

He stated that it is expected that we will succeed and come out on top, but the general public is anxious and troubled about the situation.

Since February 2022, in a previously ancient fortress town that has now transformed into a modern city with a population of 300,000, located on the front lines of Russia, numerous civilians have lost their lives due to drone and missile attacks from Ukraine, the latest occurring on Saturday.

The city of Kyiv asserts that it is not intentionally attacking civilians, just like Moscow claims. However, Russia has deployed drones and missiles towards Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of numerous civilians and causing immense financial harm worth billions of dollars.

On December 30, Belgorod experienced a missile attack resulting in the deaths of 25 individuals and injuries to over 100, marking the most severe loss of civilian lives caused by foreign enemy fire in a recognized region of Russia since World War II.

Despite facing an almost guaranteed reelection in the March 15-17 vote, President Vladimir Putin remains widely favored in Belgorod as well as all of Russia. This demonstrates the impact of the ongoing war and how it has strengthened support for him.

He refers to it as a “distinct military operation” and portrays it as a continuation of a ongoing struggle with a decaying and deteriorating West that shamed Russia following the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

The invasion by Ukraine and its Western allies is referred to as an unlawful and hostile acquisition of land.

War footing

For those living in Belgorod, disturbances occur frequently and evidence of war is easily visible.

To safeguard against potential explosions, military personnel patrol the streets and have strategically placed cement barriers at bus stops.

Elementary schools have transitioned to exclusively online instruction, while secondary schools are implementing a hybrid model that combines remote learning and in-person classes, as is common in many Ukrainian educational institutions.

Due to the sounding of a missile threat, buses will cease operations, requiring individuals to exit and traverse on foot. This can complicate shopping and result in cancelled appointments. In response to the danger, numerous individuals departed the nearby area.

Civilian volunteers in Belgorod are providing assistance to soldiers, which is a widespread occurrence in both Russia and Ukraine.

Galina’s efforts of gathering everyday hygiene items and digging tools to send to the army aim to contribute towards resolving the conflict.

Parroting language used by the Russian government when talking about the government in Kyiv, she mentioned the importance of “denazifying” Ukraine and putting an end to “fascism” there. However, Ukraine and its allies disregard this rhetoric as baseless, noting that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish.

Galina, who only provided her first name, stated that there are no other possibilities as she stood in a warehouse filled with supplies for soldiers.

She stated that Putin should finish the special military operation that he began.

Cross-border incursions

The defense ministry of Russia stated on Friday that its military had successfully prevented a Ukrainian effort to carry out a cross-border attack on the Belgorod region on the previous day.

According to a ministry announcement, Ukraine employed helicopters to transport around 30 soldiers near the border village of Kozinka. The soldiers were reportedly pushed back by Russian soldiers and border guards.

Earlier today, authorities in Ukraine reported that anti-Kremlin Russian armed forces originating from Ukraine were launching attacks on two Russian border areas: Belgorod and the nearby Kursk. They did not specify who the armed groups were.

In May and June of last year, armed intruders shelled the town of Shebekino, which is situated approximately 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the border in the Belgorod region. The roads are now marked with shell craters, and it appears that several buildings were directly hit and suffered damage.

During that period, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor, accompanied approximately 600 children from Shebekino and Graivoron districts to Yaroslavl and Kaluga, which are located far away from the Ukrainian border.

Valentina, a retired individual, mentioned that she had also temporarily departed from Shebekino last summer, due to her daughter’s persuasion, before eventually coming back.

She expressed her wish for the war to come to an end and for the townspeople who had relocated to return.

“Returning to their homes is a common desire,” she stated, explaining her intention to support Putin in the upcoming election. “He must bring an end to this conflict.”

Source: voanews.com