Russian authorities are preparing the evacuation of children from Belgorod Oblast to other regions, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Jan. 9 following an alleged evening attack by Ukraine.

Late on Jan. 8, Gladkov claimed that Russian air defenses downed 10 aerial targets over Belgorod, resulting in three people injured by falling debris.

Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the purported strike, which came the same day as Russia launched a large-scale missile attack against Ukraine.

All the injured are in intensive care units and have undergone surgery, Gladkov claimed on his Telegram channel.

The Belgorod Oblast governor said he agreed to relocate children to other oblasts with his counterparts in the Voronezh, Yaroslavl, Kaluga, and Tambov regions. He had also discussed the matter with the governors of the Lipetsk, Tula, and Penza oblasts.

The authorities are now preparing evacuation groups, and teachers may be sent to accompany the children for all three weeks of their stay in camps, Gladkov said.

Regional authorities in Belgorod Oblast, bordering Ukraine’s Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts, often claim strikes by Ukrainian forces.

A Dec. 30 attack on Belgorod allegedly killed 25 people and injured over 100. Ukraine did not claim responsibility.

Several Ukrainian media outlets reported that Ukrainian forces struck military facilities in Belgorod on Dec. 30, citing anonymous sources in Ukraine’s intelligence services.

Debris from the used weapons fell in the city center “due to unprofessional actions of the Russian air defense,” according to the sources.

Gladkov claimed on Jan. 5 that the authorities have started moving residents out of Belgorod to towns to the north, further away from the border with Ukraine.

Read also: French Foreign Ministry on Belgorod strike: Russia ‘bears full responsibility’ for human casualties

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