‘Nowhere is safe in Belgorod’: Fears grip Russian region bordering Ukraine

On May 12, Alexander’s apartment shook and his window shattered as his city of Belgorod, in the Russian region bordering Ukraine, came under attack.

“The neighbouring building was badly damaged, and two or three buildings along the roof had collapsed,” said the 31-year-old IT worker.

He called his landlady to talk about the damage to the apartment, but she did not pick up. The roof of her building had caved in during the assault.

“A lot of lads ran over from neighbouring buildings to sift through the rubble,” he said. “She died. The roof had collapsed, too, and the volunteers thought surely everyone had died, but they managed to save a few people even after that.”

In total, 15 people were killed and 16 were rescued from the rubble.

Belgorod, the capital of the eponymous region, occupies a strategic place in the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A mere 40km (25 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Belgorod served as a base for Russia’s invasion since February 2022, making it a target for Ukrainian counterattacks. It has been repeatedly pummelled by artillery barrages and drone strikes that have increased in intensity, according to residents.

“I saw and heard the shelling of Belgorod from the very start of the war,” said Yuliya*, a 21-year-old journalist who requested anonymity.

“It was impossible not to hear it, it touched everyone in the city. Nowhere is safe. Even the city centre, where nothing [bad] ever happened before and it’s full of police, government officials, they should protect this area, right? Well, as it happens this isn’t true.”

There is no doubt that Ukrainian civilians have suffered the most in the ongoing war, with tens of thousands killed and cities like Mariupol completely devastated.

According to the local Russian governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, more than 200 residents of the region have died as a result of hostilities since 2022. More than a thousand others have been wounded, including dozens of children, a number of whom have undergone amputations, he says.

The deadliest incident took place on December 30, 2023, when a barrage of rocket fire struck the city during New Year celebrations. Five children were among the 25 people killed.

“Unfortunately, this has become the reality of each person who lives here,” said political scientist Margarita Lisnichaya, a member of the Digoria Expert Club political think tank and a Belgorod native who says she supports President Vladimir Putin.

“On July 11, an explosive device was deliberately dropped into the courtyard of an apartment building,” she continued. “It was not military men sitting on the playground, but five boys, one of whom was only eight years old.”

Several children were reportedly injured in the attack.

Lisnichaya said that firefighting efforts are complicated by emergency response teams themselves being targeted for a repeat attack, and accused the Ukrainian armed forces of deliberately firing on civilians.

Ukraine denies targeting civilians.

A report cited by the Washington Post, purportedly leaked by Ukrainian intelligence, claims that in the 12 months preceding April 2024, Russian warplanes accidentally dropped 38 bombs on the Belgorod region themselves, resulting in dozens of deaths.