A state of emergency has been declared in the Russian border region of Belgorod due to an attack from Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced, BBC reports.
Gladkov stated that the situation in Belgorod is "very difficult" due to the constant shelling of that region from the Ukrainian side. "Houses have been destroyed, there are dead and wounded civilians," he said on Telegram.
It is the second Russian region after Kursk to declare a state of emergency, following a surprise Ukrainian cross-border attack last Sunday that led to mass evacuations and a state of emergency declared there by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia also said it shot down 117 drones overnight, which were targeting four regions - Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod and Nizhny Novgorod.
Belgorod is located south of Kursk Oblast, the location of Ukraine's deepest incursion into Russia since Moscow began its invasion in 2022. It is estimated that almost 200.000 Russians have left their homes in the Kursk region.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said troops had advanced deeper into Russian territory, while army chief Oleksandr Sirsky claimed Kiev had "control over 40 square kilometers" with 74 occupied settlements.
But exactly how much Russian territory has been taken is unknown, and there is skepticism about Sirski's previous claims that a total of 1.000 square kilometers of Russia is under Ukrainian control.
Ukraine has said it will not hold on to Russian territory it has seized, adding that it will end attacks if Moscow agrees to a "just peace".
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