Russia says it will evacuate children from Belgorod after Ukraine shelling
Al Jazeera
The Kremlin says it aims to create a buffer zone to protect civilians against long-range strikes and cross-border raids.
Russia plans to evacuate about 9,000 children from a border region because it is being shelled continuously by Ukraine, a local official has said.
The children will be moved from the Belgorod region farther east, away from the Ukraine border, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Tuesday.
The announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin wants to create a buffer zone to help protect border regions from long-range Ukrainian strikes and cross-border raids that have occurred with more frequency in recent months.
Ukraine has used its long-range firepower to hit oil refineries and depots deep inside Russia and has sought to unsettle the Russian border regions, putting political pressure on Putin.
In addition, Ukraine-based Russian opponents of Putin and the Kremlin have launched cross-border raids.
