Belgorod

Russia announced today the evacuation of residents from part of the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, due to a Ukrainian attack and in the context of an armed Ukrainian raid on the neighboring Russian region of Kursk.

Explosions have erupted once again in Russia's Belgorod region, accompanied by several fires following a missile alert, as reported by Russian Telegram channels.

Local authorities stated that air defenses successfully intercepted a missile. Russian officials attributed the shelling to the Ukrainian military.

???? Belgorod right now. pic.twitter.com/sPzA3fUgdj

Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian oil base near the Black Sea and shelled the Belgorod region, resulting in eight people sustaining injuries. According to reports, the attack occurred overnight, with drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine striking the oil base near Anapa, located along the Black Sea coast.

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.

Fresh strikes Saturday in the Russian border region of Belgorod adjoining Ukraine killed two people, the regional governor said, as Moscow accused Kyiv of stepping up attacks during the ongoing presidential election.

"Very sad news, two people died, a man and a woman," said Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram, adding that eight rockets had been downed by Russian forces in the region.

Russia's defence ministry on Thursday said that 14 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight over the regions of Belgorod and Kursk on the border with Ukraine.

It marked the latest wave of drone attacks on Russian territory this week, ahead of presidential elections on March 15-17 that are all but guaranteed to hand President Vladimir Putin another six years in power.

Border towns in the Kursk and Belgorod regions have become battlegrounds, with conflicting reports emerging from the frontlines.

Reports have emerged indicating that the "Freedom of Russia Legion," a Russian volunteer group fighting alongside Ukraine, has initiated an attack into Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions, which share borders with Ukraine.

Russia said Wednesday that an IL-76 military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war had crashed in the western Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine.

Unverified videos on social media showed a large plane, purportedly in the Belgorod region, falling from the sky on its side before crashing in a fireball.

Day 700 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours: