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Belgorod: Thousands evacuated in Russia as Ukraine increases military activity
Russia on Monday began evacuating civilians in a second border region as Ukraine continued its surprise offensive inside the country.
Kyiv increased activity near the border just days after its biggest incursion into Russian territory since 2022.
A Russian official said 11,000 people in the Belgorod region have been told they must leave their homes because of military action.
District administration head Andrey Miskov said on social media that residents were moved on buses headed for temporary accommodation.
Around 500 people remain, he said.
The entire region is reportedly under a missile alert amid the threat from Ukrainian troops.
Ukrainian forces rammed through the Russian border last Tuesday, sweeping across some Western parts of Russia’s Kursk region and advancing up to 18 miles.
It is the deepest incursion into Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Apparently caught by surprise, Russia by Sunday had stabilised the front in the Kursk region, though Ukraine had carved out a sliver of territory where battles were continuing on Monday, according to Russian war bloggers.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the incursion into Russian territory was to “restore justice” and pressure Moscow’s forces.
In the neighbouring Belgorod region to the south, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said evacuations had begun from the Krasnaya Yaruga District due to “enemy activity on the border”.
“I am sure that our servicemen will do everything to cope with the threat that has arisen,” Mr Gladkov said.
“We are starting to move people who live in the Krasnaya Yaruga district to safer places.”
Vladimir Putin’s army has imposed a tight security regime in the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions.
Its ally Belarus said it was bolstering its troop numbers at its border after Minsk said Ukraine had violated its airspace with drones.
Russian officials claim Ukraine’s attacks on Russian sovereign territory are aimed at showing its Western supporters that Kyiv can still muster major military operations while trying to gain a bargaining chip ahead of possible ceasefire talks.
Five Ukrainian drones were destroyed over Belgorod overnight, 11 over Kursk and two over Voronezh, according to Russia’s defence ministry, which said it was repelling Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.
It listed considerable heavy weaponry including tanks which it said it had destroyed.
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Trending
Kidnappers Took Loan With My Phone – Victim Recounts Ordeal
A woman has shared a disturbing account of her abduction in Abuja, detailing how kidnappers allegedly exploited her personal information during captivity.
According to her, she was kidnapped while going home in a bus and kept blindfolded for two days as her captors demanded a ransom of ₦5 million from her family and friends.
She further alleged that while she was still in captivity, the abductors accessed her phone and used it to download a loan application.
With her ATM card and identification documents in her possession at the time, they reportedly secured a loan of ₦148,000 without her knowledge.
The victim said she remained unaware of the transaction throughout her ordeal, as she was blindfolded and focused on pleading for her life.
She revealed that when she later found out and wrote to the loan app, they insisted she must pay off the loan.
“I was kidnapped in a bus in Abuja. They blindfolded my eyes for two days. Even after asking for ransom of 5 million from my family and friends, they took a loan. They downloaded a loan app on my phone, and I always carry my ATM card and my ID cards in my bag, so they used it to up the loan app and took a loan of 148 thousand Naira. I didn’t even know about the loan all the time I was there cause I was blindfolded and just begging for my life….” she partly said.
Trending
Man Ends His Marriage After Finding Photographs Of His Wife With Another Man While Browsing Google Maps
A husband was left shocked and reportedly had to end his marriage after discovering photos of his wife with another man while using Google Maps.
The man was using Google Maps to plan a route before setting off on a journey when he noticed an image of his wife sitting on a bench, stroking the hair of another man whose head rested in her lap.
Captured by a Google camera vehicle in Lima, the Peruvian capital, the stunned husband said the photograph grabbed his attention because the woman pictured seemed to be wearing identical clothing to pieces his wife owned.
Although the photo dated back to 2013, the furious husband challenged his wife with proof of her previous betrayal.

The pair, whose identities remain anonymous, subsequently divorced after the woman confessed to having an affair.
In a twist of fate, she was photographed with her lover on a bench near the city’s Puente de los Suspiros de Barranco (Bridge of Sighs of the Ravine).
The husband recently posted the photographs on Facebook where they sparked considerable reaction amongst users.
One social media commenter, San Pateste, said: “What a small world it is… It would have been enough if she said to her husband that she did not love him any more.”
Guillermo Sanchez added: “Out of 100 women, 90 per cent are not loyal, the rest are loyal and only have one eye (hahaha) or are immortal (hahaha).”
Trending
Explosion injures soldier, NSCDC personnel in Imo
An Improvised Explosive Device, IED, explosion injured a soldier and a personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.
A counter-insurgency and security expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, made this disclosure on X.
Makama disclosed that the incident occurred at about 8:35am on March 18 during a joint operation by troops of 34 Artillery Brigade in the Orsu general area.
According to the source, the personnel were operating around a suspected hideout of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, when they stepped on a concealed pressure-activated IED.
It noted that the device detonated, leaving both operatives injured.
“They were immediately administered first aid and subsequently evacuated to a medical facility for further treatment.
“Operations are ongoing in the area to dismantle criminal hideouts and enhance safety,” the source said.
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