Belgorod: Authorities call on residents of Russian border district of Shebekino to evacuate

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Refugees from the Shebekino area in an emergency shelter in Belgorod on June 2

Photo: OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP

For days, the Russian region of Belgorod, located on the border with Ukraine, has been shelled. Now the authorities have called on the inhabitants of local villages to get to safety. He asked that the inhabitants of the villages of the Shebekino district heed the appeals of the authorities and "temporarily leave their homes," wrote the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, in the morning on the online service Telegram .

It was another "restless night" in Shebekino with "a lot of damage," Gladkov reported. The goal now is to "protect the most important thing: your life and the lives of your loved ones."

More than 4000,<> people have already been accommodated in temporary shelters in the Belgorod region, Gladkov said. On Sunday, minors from border villages and children of soldiers fighting in Ukraine were to be taken to youth camps, he announced. "I hope that they will receive a large load of liveliness, health, strength, swimming in the warm sea and enjoying the Crimean sun," Gladkov wrote. And then they will return to their families."

Russian rebels report advance and offer prisoner exchange

Two groups of Russian rebels fighting on the side of Ukraine against Putin's troops say they have captured two Russian soldiers during the fighting in the Belgorod region. They are ready to exchange the two soldiers during a conversation with the governor of Belgorod, the "Legion of Freedom of Russia" and the "Russian Volunteer Corps" explain via Telegram. They do not share details.

In the morning, the "Legion of Russian Freedom" had also declared via Telegram that it had invaded the suburbs of Shebekino. This cannot be independently confirmed. Read more about the Russian rebels here.

For two weeks there has been fighting and attacks in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. Russian opponents of the government in Moscow have said they have attacked targets there. Russia accuses Ukrainian troops of the attacks, but Kyiv has repeatedly denied this.

mgo/AFP/dpa