Russia Enforces Strict Access to Belgorod Villages: Only Armed, Armored Men Allowed

Access to 14 villages in the Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine, will be restricted due to “Ukrainian shelling,” according to a Telegram statement by the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

“We intend to limit access to 14 areas where the operational situation is extremely difficult,” Gladkov wrote, emphasizing the need to “take maximum security measures.”

Checkpoints will be established at the entrances to these villages, manned by law enforcement officers. “We will provide 14 concrete modular shelters to ensure their safety,” he reported.

Gladkov warned that public transport, including taxis, will be prohibited from entering these settlements. Residents wishing to enter must apply to local authorities.

“Only adult men will be allowed according to strict regulations: in armored vehicles with electronic warfare equipment, in personal protective equipment—body armor and helmets—and accompanied by the military and local officials, including self-defense forces,” Gladkov wrote.

Women and children will not be permitted to enter.

Abandoned houses will be guarded by the Ministry of Defense following an agreed schedule. The governor also mentioned that implementation would start on Tuesday next week.

Utility bill payments in these settlements will be halted, except for those based on meter readings. “If people haven’t left and are using gas and electricity, they must pay for it. All other payments will be stopped,” he added.

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Russian forces targeted the Kurakhove dam after months of attempts, raising water levels by 1.2 meters in the Vovcha River. However, officials report no risk of a complete reservoir leak.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, over 200 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the region, with artillery fire cutting power and water supplies to border villages, according to regional authorities.

This announcement came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated he would welcome Russia’s participation in a future peace summit to end the war, now in its third year. This invitation marked a shift from last month when Kyiv excluded Moscow from a high-level peace conference in Switzerland.

However, Russia responded to Zelensky’s invitation with skepticism. “The first peace summit was not a peace summit at all. So perhaps it is necessary to first understand what he means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Zvezda television channel.