Russia claimed it had foiled another attack by pro-Kiev militias on its border with Ukraine, sparking panic among residents who evacuated.
Meanwhile, Russian forces stepped up ballistic missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital, killing three civilians and wounding 14 on Thursday.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said its forces thwarted an attack near the Shebekino border crossing that killed 30 Ukrainians and destroyed several combat vehicles around 3 a.m. Thursday.
The Financial Times could not confirm Moscow’s account. However, two militiamen based in Ukraine claimed to have crossed into the Belgorod region, the second attack in more than a week. These are the anti-Kremlin militias that ventured into the area in May, and are largely made up of Russian citizens using US-made military vehicles. While Ukraine denies direct involvement, a military intelligence official admitted his department was “cooperating” with the militia.
The invasion, and most recently the drone strike in Moscow, exposed Russia’s security gaps and brought war back to the Russian homeland.
Local authorities said there had been a marked increase in shelling of downtown Shebekino since Wednesday. The town was hit by Grad missiles, causing multiple fires and the destruction of buildings. According to several residents interviewed by the FT, the attack caused people to panic and leave town.
“The whole city of Shebekino is under constant fire . . . people are in a panic and those who can leave are trying to leave. Others are hiding in basements,” said local blogger Alexander.
He said local authorities had set up a hotline for those seeking help to flee, but there was no centralized evacuation of everyone.
On Wednesday, Belgorod Governor Viacheslav Gladkov announced the voluntary evacuation of the children. But he said the gathering locations would not be released because they could be targeted while authorities drove evacuation vans home.
Local social media channels were flooded with panicked messages from people hoping to join out-of-town carpools or begging neighbors to help their elderly relatives. A local resident said so many people were fleeing that gas stations were running out of fuel.
“The children are scared and the hotline is busy! Why didn’t an evacuation be announced!? Does no one care about the people?” Aksinia, a resident of Shebekino, wrote on a local channel. “We don’t know what to do! How are we going to get out! ! ! “
There were no casualties in the raid, but several people were said to have been wounded and 11 were hospitalized, Ria Novosti reported.
One Western official said the purpose of such attacks inside Russia was to make Russian command and control more difficult and force it to redeploy forces to areas that did not previously require defense.
“There’s another aspect of the psychological aspect,” the official said. Not knowing what to expect from a Ukrainian counteroffensive would create a “waiting and uncertain running-in period”, with morale already low as Russia is estimated to have inflicted “well in excess of 200,000” casualties since launching the all-out invasion.
The Kremlin made no comment on the deteriorating situation in the Belgorod region, in stark contrast to its belligerent rhetoric following attacks on Moscow and the Kremlin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that President Vladimir Putin “continuously receives reports . . . about Shebekino and is in contact with local authorities”. He stressed that the attack would not change the course of Russia’s war and lamented that the West did not criticize them.
In Kiev, authorities were dealing with the aftermath of Russia’s 18th airstrike on the Ukrainian capital in the past 31 days.
The Thursday morning missile strikes began around 3 a.m. local time, when air raid sirens blared across the city and blasts from air defense systems were clearly visible in the night sky.
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 10 missiles fired from Russia’s Bryansk region. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said debris from the missile crashed in the eastern Dnipropovsky and Desnyansky districts.
The famous boxer Klitschko, who has been mayor since June 2014, came under criticism on Thursday after a Kiev resident blamed him for his wife’s death.
Yaroslav Riabchuk told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that he, his wife and their daughter tried to seek shelter in the basement of a medical facility in the Desnyanskyi district but were unable to enter when debris collapsed.
“The shelter was locked. People were knocking and knocking and knocking for a long time. . . There were women and children, but no one opened the door,” Riabchuk said, fighting back tears. “Our children survived, but my wife was killed.”
Two other people were also killed, including a 9-year-old child.
Klitschko, who went to the scene, said the clinic director and the head of the Desnyanskyi district had been suspended and police were investigating why the doors were locked.
The use of ballistic and cruise missiles means only a few minutes between launch and interception, leaving a very small window of time to seek refuge, the Air Force said.
The deaths of the two children were particularly hard hit as the attack occurred on International Children’s Day. In Kiev, Klitschko announced the cancellation of all planned events.
In Moscow, Putin held a video conference with Russian families, answering questions from children asking if he was more powerful than Russia’s Santa Claus. “We are all sinful beings and we need to fight for what is given to us (from above),” Putin said.
Additional reporting by John Paul Rathbone in London