Belgorod: Can We Call It a Civil War?
Well, operations continue in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. Last year, the units retreated after a week. So, this year, it seems a tad more serious. So this emerged in the morning. The data indicates it’s a significant fight, and given the Russians claimed they crushed this in the first thirty-six hours, that is part of the story.
The information below matters. I am including the raw data as well. It’s not mine, but definitely, there are valid conclusions here:
OSINT researcher Naalsio publishes documented Ukrainian and Russian losses in the Belgorod direction. Ukraine lost 7 units of equipment, all 7 units irretrievably. Russia lost 4 pieces of equipment, of which only 1 was irretrievable. Naalsio also provides a list of possible, but not definitively confirmed Ukrainian losses in equipment (third plate). This is another 6 units of equipment.
These data clearly show the scale of ongoing hostilities. Considering the stretch of time and the fact that the second week of the Limited Military Operation on Russian territory begins, this, of course, is not a raid, but a full-fledged combined arms operation in which many forces and means are involved. The exact purpose of this operation is not yet clear, although a certain outline of what is happening is emerging, especially in conjunction with the ongoing strikes into the depths of Russia.
I remind you that the ongoing strikes are against much of the oil infrastructure. Russians cannot easily replace that equipment. One strike was about 900 kilometers in. That’s a pretty deep strategic strike. So, what else is going on at the border? Again, I will remind you Russia said it crushed this:
16 civilians of the Belgorod region were killed and 98 were injured as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a week.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced this at a meeting of the Presidium of the General Council of United Russia.
“In total, 16 civilians were killed and 98 people were injured in a week. Including a boy who just lost his arm during shelling. The tension is quite high,” TASS quotes the governor.
This summary is sent through a local channel. They have been posting photos of the damage, too. But more critically, this:
About 9 thousand children will be taken out of the Belgorod region due to shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces , said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Why children specifically? This is the way Russians think. They have kidnapped 700,000 Ukrainian children since the war began. Evacuating these children is a way to prevent Ukraine from doing this to Russian children because Russians are doing that. It’s mirror thinking. Removing kids from an increasingly gray zone is not a bad idea. But this is not why Russians are doing this. They fear Ukraine will do to their children what they have been busy doing themselves.
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