The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Russia reacts to long-range missile strikes
ARussian border region being pounded by Ukrainian shelling and drones is expanding its closure of schools and colleges amid a major evacuation plan, as Kyiv’s forces extend a campaign of long-range strikes.
Ukraine has a lack of ammunition along the 620-mile frontline due to a shortfall in promised Western supplies – one factor forcing its army into a more defensive stance.
But at the same time,
Kyiv is attacking oil facilities deep inside Russia to unnerve its border regions.
Some Belgorod schools near the border will close early ahead of school holidays, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced, after Ukraine shelling continued to cause deaths and injuries among the local population.
Schools in and around the city of Belgorod will close until Friday, he said.
Also, universities and colleges will switch to remote learning, and clubs and cultural, sports and other educational institutions will stay closed.
The measures were announced a day after the governor unveiled plans to evacuate 9,000 children from the region and several days after a rubber-stamp presidential election in Russia in which president Vladimir Putin extended his rule in a landslide.
Despite the attacks, the official voting turnout in the Belgorod region was 87%, and Mr Putin officially
captured 90.66% of the vote, described as a sham by Ukraine and its Western allies.
The attacks on Russian soil have embarrassed the Kremlin and Mr Putin vowed to give support to Belgorod civilians who have lost their homes and businesses.
Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 13
Ukrainian rockets over the Belgorod region during yesterday morning.
Mr Gladkov, the governor, said one person was killed and two others injured, including a 17-year-old girl.
In another possible sign of Kyiv’s strategy, Ukrainian drones targeted the city of Engels, about 500 miles east of the border with Ukraine.
An air base for strategic bombers is near the city.
Russia’s defence ministry said it took down four drones over the region.
Long-range strikes on Russia are “a cost-effective way to create challenges for the Russian state,” said Michael Kofman, a military expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.