Moscow, Jun 1 (EFE).- More than 100 people from the Russian town of Shebekino near the Ukrainian border have been evacuated amid regular Ukrainian bombardments, local mayor Valentin Demidov said on Thursday.

“The registration process is currently taking place: 134 citizens, 34 of them are minors, have been registered” to take refuge in the Belgorod Arena, which has a capacity of more than 1,000, Demidov wrote on Telegram.

A handout photo made available by the Governor of Russia’s Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov on his Telegram channel shows people waiting inside a bomb shelter during a Ukrainian shelling in the border town of Shebekino, Belgorod region, Russia, 31 May 2023. EFE/EPA/GOVERNOR OF BELGOROD REGION

“The situation in the district is becoming more and more complex. That is why we are giving all those who are interested the opportunity to stay in Belgorod,” he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian president Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation in Belgorod.

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Shebekino had come under fire from Ukrainian forces on Thursday, which left eight people injured.

A handout photo made available by the Governor of Russia’s Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov on his Telegram channel shows the aftermath of Ukrainian shelling in the border town of Shebekino, Belgorod region, Russia, 31 May 2023. EFE/EPA/GOVERNOR OF BELGOROD REGION

“The lives of civilians and the population are in danger,” Gladkov said in a Telegram post.

Gladkov urged people not to rush the evacuation, saying: “If there is a need for an urgent evacuation, we will send armored equipment to your homes.”

“We do not set up assembly points because they can become targets for those people who are now shooting at civilians and minors,” he pointed out.EFE

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