Children Evacuated as Shelling Continues in Russia's Belgorod Region

In response to continued shelling in the border villages of the Belgorod region, Russian authorities have initiated evacuation measures to ensure the safety of residents, particularly children. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced the decision at a meeting of the Presidium of the "United Russia" party, stating that approximately 9,000 children will be evacuated from the affected areas to other regions of the Russian Federation.

Gladkov outlined the scope of the evacuation efforts, noting that numerous villages have already been evacuated, with plans underway to transport children from Belgorod and surrounding regions. He indicated that a comprehensive evacuation plan is being implemented, with the first batch of children scheduled to be relocated to Penza, Tambov, and Kaluga on March 22, followed by additional transfers to the Stavropol Territory.

The decision to evacuate comes in response to recent shelling incidents in the Belgorod region, including an attack on March 19 using Vampir multi-purpose missile systems. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that anti-aircraft defense successfully intercepted nine shells, but local residents have shared images and videos on social media depicting damaged homes and burning vehicles as a result of the attacks.