Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday asked the Defense Ministry to prevent bombings in Russia’s regions near the border with Ukraine, specifically Belgorod, Kursk and Briansk.
“The priority task is to eliminate the possibility of bombing, but that is for the military department”stressed the head of the Kremlin at a meeting on support for the people of the border regions.
Putin specifically referred to the support given to the inhabitants of the annexed Crimean peninsula and the regions of Belgorod, Kursk and Briansk whose “houses and apartments have been damaged or destroyed as a result of shelling by neo-Nazi formations”, in a reference to Ukrainian military units.
“Many people find themselves in difficult situations: they have lost their belongings, they have been forced to move to a family home or temporary accommodation, they have experienced interruptions in the supply of water, heating and electricity”he said.
Putin also admitted that the problems faced by these populations are and will continue to be “very serious”. “it is necessary to restore or compensate for the loss of houses, apartments, other properties, return energy, heat and water supply and normal operations”.
“The solution of these problems should not be influenced by bureaucratic procedures. It is necessary to act quickly and effectively”he stressed.
Belgorod governor Viacheslav Gladkov, his counterpart in Kursk Roman Starovoit, and Briansk Alexandr Bogomaz have denounced multiple attacks over the past year attributed to Ukrainian forces.
During the video conference with Putin, the governor of Briansk said that 235 houses had been damaged since the start of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, while in Kursk 26 apartment buildings and 379 houses were hit, according to the person responsible for this Russian region.
Bombings have also been recorded in Crimea, such as in August last year against military bases assigned to Ukraine and in October at the Kerch Bridge explosion, which has not yet been claimed.
Putin also referred to the remaining four Ukrainian regions annexed last September after internationally unrecognized referenda: Zaporijia, Kherson, Lugansk and Donetsk, where the Russian government has begun rebuilding housing, social services, roads and communication networks “on the places where they ended up with hostilities.”, as he pointed out.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than eight million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Currently, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia to impose political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented 7,110 civilian deaths and 11,547 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are well below the real ones.
Source: DN
