Russians evacuated from shelled border areas pour into shelters: governor

Residents evacuated from the Russian town of Shebekino near the Ukraine border after heavy shelling were Thursday filling up temporary shelters in the regional capital, the governor of Belgorod said.

“The largest temporary accommodation centre in the city is gradually filling up, so all arriving residents of Shebekino are being sent in an organised manner to the remaining centres for displaced people,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

He said eight people were wounded in Shebekino as a result of “uninterrupted shelling” earlier Thursday.

The Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, has in recent weeks been hit by multiple strikes from across the border and seen attempted incursions from armed anti-Kremlin groups.

On Thursday, the Russian defence ministry said troops had thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian forces to “invade” the region of Belgorod.

Belgorod city mayor Valentin Demidov said officials would seek to accommodate “everyone” who is seeking shelter.

He said a local sports arena could accommodate around 1,000 people.

“There are many families with children, including infants and disabled people. We will try to provide them with as much care as possible,” Demidov said.