In March 2024, during the presidential elections in the Russian Federation, the bombings became daily, but then began to decrease again (while attacks on the region continue).
Belgorod, which has a population of more than 340,000, is the only city in Russia where missile warning signals and shelling have become a daily reality. The journalists talked to the residents of Belgorod about how the war changed their lives and how they escape during the bombings.
Olga is 25 years old and says that she has a suitcase ready in the corridor, in which she has put canned goods, bread and other food, water and underwear, a first aid kit and documents, which she takes when she goes down to the basement, immediately after who hears the bombardment alarm.
“When the bombings find me at home, I immediately take the cat and the phone and run down the corridor,” says the young woman.
“Of course, it’s not the best set: there should also be a knife, a flashlight and a heating foil coat. But I’m probably not crazy enough to buy army rations yet. I have a minimum,” she adds.
In the basement of the building where he lives there is a shelter that is used in case of bombing. “Don’t close the doors during bombing, it might save someone’s life,” reads a sign posted at the entrance.
“When I go for a walk, I always notice that they have installed a new shelter. In Belgorod it is difficult not to find information about how to behave during the bombing. For example, on the Telegram channels of the authorities and local media, reminders with clear instructions appear from time to time: what to do at home, what to do on the street, what to do if you are in a car. After December 30, in-depth analysis videos began to be broadcast in Cathedral Square (the city’s main square, ed.), on city screens and on buses. It really shows how to give first aid”, says Olga.
Elena is 23 years old and lives in a new residential complex, where, the young woman says, she feels safer than in the older buildings in the city. “When the bombing starts, I run to the bathroom. If a missile threat is declared, I gather everything I need to stay in the bathroom longer. Once, I even stayed there with my friends: we drank beer, a missile threat was announced, something exploded and we were there.”
“I have never been caught by street bombings. I was once surprised by a siren on the street, it turned out to be a false alarm, but it was scary. I ran to look for the nearest shelter, I ran into the building, there were people there, waiting for the siren to stop,” adds the young woman.
Elena says that when she walks on the street, she looks with her eyes for where she could take shelter, if something happens: “I have the feeling that I am constantly waiting for danger. For example, I cross the road near Mayak (a shopping center in the center of Belgorod, n.ed.) and realize that there were corpses lying here [după bombardamentul din 30 decembrie]. That makes the place even scarier. And you can become a corpse at any moment, a collateral loss”.
The publication Bereg published several such testimonies of people, mostly young people, from the city. Alyona, who is 21, says she has started leaving the house only if absolutely necessary and when she does she always makes sure to identify the nearest shelter. The girl also says that she is constantly afraid, but mostly when the alarms are not heard and she is afraid then that the city will be bombed without warning the inhabitants.
A 30-year-old man told how before, even if the alarms sounded, people were relaxed, but now everyone runs away if they are caught on the street.
Boris is 30 years old and says that in the summer of 2022, when a rocket fell in the center of the city, the world remained calm: “Back then, no one believed that this could happen on a regular basis. Of course, they knew about the safety rules, but the rules are the rules, and there were no bombings to Belgorod at that time.”
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