MOSCOW, March 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Shops and schools have been closed in the Russian city of Belgorod after bombardments that authorities there have blamed on Ukraine.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said two people were killed – as voting continues in a general election Vladimir Putin is certain to win.
Air defence systems downed eight Ukrainian missiles, Gladkov said.
Putin accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt his bid for another six-year term.
Students in Belgorod – which is near the border with Ukraine – will not attend school on Monday and Tuesday, the governor said while shopping centres in Belgorod will be closed on Sunday and Monday.
Gladkov said one woman was killed in a car park while with her son, as they walked a dog. “Medics are fighting for her son’s life,” the governor added.
Images circulating on social media show a car park billowing with smoke and fire. Belgorod has been the target of several retaliatory strikes from Kyiv.
The Russian defence ministry confirmed that it had “inflicted losses” in the border areas of Ukraine and the Belgorod and Kursk regions.
Also on Saturday, Governor Dmitry Azarov of the Samara region – some 850km southeast of Moscow – said Ukrainian drones targeted two oil refineries – one of the refineries, in Syzran, had been set alight but there were no casualties.
The elections are set to see Putin win six more years in office. The result is not in doubt as Putin has no credible opponent.
Despite these elections being skewed in Putin’s favour, voting on Friday was filled with acts of vandalism at polling stations.
Incidents of vandalism involved green dye being poured into ballot boxes, the boxes being set alight and fireworks being set off inside polling stations, state media reported.
Voting is taking place in Russia over three days until Sunday, spanning several time zones. Polling stations opened in the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia’s easternmost region, at 08:00 local time on Friday and will finally close in the westernmost Kaliningrad exclave at 20:00 on Sunday. — NNN-AGENCIES
