Such civilian deaths are a frequent occurrence in Ukraine, which has been subjected to sustained Russian bombing. But those victims were among 25 people killed in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 20 miles from the border with Ukraine, in a rocket and missile attack the day before New Year's Eve.
The strike came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to bring the war back to Russia, in response to one of Russia's largest air attacks on Ukraine — a barrage of missiles and drones that killed at least 39 people and wounded at least 159 others. Country.
“We will continue to strengthen our air defense,” Zelensky said in a speech. “And working to return the war to… where it came from – its homeland, Russia.”
While dozens of Ukrainian civilians have died in air strikes from Kharkiv in the east to Lviv in the west, Belgorod is the only Russian city under sustained attack and where the war is felt directly on a daily basis. The December 30 strike was the first carried out by Ukraine on Russian territory, with the number of civilian casualties reaching double digits.
Among those killed that day were five children. More than 100 people were injured, including an 8-month-old child who had to have his leg amputated. The unusually large number of casualties shocked the Russians.
President Vladimir Putin described the raid as a “terrorist act,” the Russian Defense Ministry promised revenge for the “indiscriminate” strikes, and politicians and celebrities pledged to donate to the families of the victims.
Russian state television described it as a “black day” for Belgorod. The message “Belgorod – We are with you” was displayed on city landmarks and at football matches and other sporting events across the country.
“You have to understand that this has never happened before,” Valeria, a local journalist, said in a phone interview. She asked to be identified by her first name only for security reasons. It was indeed the most intense bombing since the beginning of the war. We immediately ran to hide in the corridor.
Valeria said that at least ten explosions occurred in quick succession, destroying the central area where there is a shopping mall, a drama theater and administrative buildings in the city.
“It was really scary,” she said. “In peacetime, we always joked that Belgorod was a big village where everyone knew each other. This is a tragedy that affected everyone, many people knew someone who was killed or injured.
A 61-year-old sports coach from Belgorod, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said he was home when the ground shook and he heard what sounded like a very loud fireworks display. A few seconds later, his work chat group was filled with his colleagues asking for help in calling an ambulance, and expressing their shock at the large number of dead and wounded.
“Ukraine is targeting the city every day now,” the coach said. “Sometimes rocket fragments fall on the city. “People get infected every day.”
Since the December 30 attack, Ukraine has continued to bomb the city, but on a smaller scale. He added: “The city has calmed down significantly.” “There are unusually few vehicles on the roads, and people have disappeared from the streets. People are afraid for their lives.”
“But there is no panic at all,” the coach added. “There is an understanding that the enemy has pitted one nation against another, but that is the way it is.”
New Year's celebrations and Orthodox Christmas Mass were canceled following the attack. Shopping centers temporarily closed their doors, and the authorities began offering first aid courses to residents.
Last week, the local government began small-scale evacuations, mostly for children. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that about 300 people had been moved to temporary shelters in towns 80 miles or so to the northwest, and that an additional 1,300 children were scheduled to be evacuated to four other regions.
Despite the appearance of the system, government efforts were found wanting.
Reportedly, sirens sounded late, about 30 minutes after the attack. Several people who fled to hide in nearby shelters told local media that they found them closed or with mysterious signs.
“I want to draw attention to the ridiculous situation around the shelter signs.” One resident complained on the Belgorod administration page on VKontakte, the Russian equivalent of Facebook. “Arrows have been drawn, but the location of the shelter is not entirely clear. Not everyone will have the mental energy to browse the online list of shelters on their smartphone during a bombing.
One resident was forced to apologize in front of the camera after he recorded a video of the city's air defenses. In the apology, the man, who identified himself as Denis Boban, stood in front of a Russian flag between two men wearing uniforms with a “SMERSH” patch – an apparent reference to Stalin's counterintelligence service.
The corrections appear to confirm claims by some Russian politicians that the organization has been re-established. “I fully admit my guilt,” Boban said in the recording. “I am willing to bear the full punishment.”
Nikita Parminov, a freelance journalist from Belgorod who lives outside Russia, said that despite growing war fatigue, residents were largely united after the attack.
Dozens of civilian volunteers were mobilized to help the victims and their families and collect money for them, and social media pages were filled with videos commemorating the victims and the heroism of emergency service workers.
At the same time, there is little acknowledgment – at least publicly – that the attack was a response to a more lethal Russian strike on Ukraine, or even that it was a result of Russia's invasion of that country.
Gladkov, the ruler, emerged as Russia's only true wartime leader, and as a result his popular approval ratings soared. In a televised New Year's speech, which showed him holding red carnations and flanked by two soldiers, Gladkov said the attack reminded the city of what Russia is fighting for.
“At the end of 2023, the enemy attacked us and all the pain this caused now lies in the hearts of each and every one of us,” he said. “Once again, we saw clearly what our men on the front lines are facing and what they are defending. They are defending our homeland, our freedom and our land in Belgorod.”
The attack also appears to have increased support for the war. “Now people are starting to think: We are not alone, we are not the only bad guys,” Parminov said. “Ukraine is also committing war crimes.”
While some residents want to move to Moscow or nearby Voronezh, many feel like they have been taken hostage in war, Parminov said. “They realize that the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin and Muscovites do not care about them,” he said.
Commenting on one of Gladkov's posts on VKontakte, one social media user wrote: “I have a feeling that Moscow has left us. To be more precise: left to be torn to pieces.”
The athletic trainer said he would like to leave the city and move somewhere else with his family, but he can't because he needs his job. “My daughter will be 14 soon. I am worried not only for her life, but also for her morale,” he added.
Speaking on an independent radio program this week, Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin said the reality of war could become a problem for the Kremlin. “People love war on TV,” Oreshkin said. “People like war as an electronic game, or as a hockey game where we beat another team. But if war becomes routine, dreary, hungry, cold, then there will be questions one way or another.”
