The Albany Gazette - Russia's Belgorod struck again after schools near border kept shut

At least two people were wounded in the latest shelling, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, as Telegram channels circulated what appeared to be images of damaged cars in the city near the Ukraine border.

"According to preliminary data, there are two victims. One man has a shrapnel wound to the forearm, the other has a shrapnel wound to the shin," he said.

"Our air defence system worked over Belgorod and the Belgorod district -- 10 air targets were shot down on approach to the city," he added.

The Kremlin has tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy on the home front, but recent deadly strikes on Belgorod have brought the Ukraine conflict closer to Russians.

A strike on the city last Saturday killed 25 people, officials said, the deadliest strike on civilians in Russia since the war began in February 2022.

Schools in several municipalities close to the Ukrainian border were ordered to extend their holidays beyond the planned winter break, Gladkov said earlier.

Russian schools have been closed this week as the country celebrates Orthodox Christmas on January 7.

"In technical colleges and universities located in these municipalities, it is recommended to hold class remotely," he continued, adding that the holidays could be further prolonged.

Belgorod city lies about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the border and has been repeatedly struck by what Moscow says is indiscriminate shelling by Kyiv's forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to intensify strikes in response to Saturday's attack, with Moscow's forces targeting areas across Ukraine throughout the week.

- Renewed strikes -

Officials said Thursday at least four people were killed across Ukraine, after several days of deadly attacks that claimed dozens of lives.

The White House said North Korea had provided Russia with ballistic missiles and missile launchers used in recent attacks on the country.

"This is a significant and concerning escalation of the DPRK's support for Russia," said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

Kyiv says the latest attacks underline the need for Western allies to speed up delivery of air defence equipment, combat drones and long-range missiles.

A strike in the central Kirovograd region, far from the front, killed one person at an industrial facility and injured eight others on Thursday, regional governor Andriy Raykovych said.

In the southern Kherson region, Russia shelled the town of Stanislav on the shores of the Dnipro River, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram.

"A 61-year-old local resident died. My condolences to the family," Prokudin said.

Shelling killed one person in the village of Katerynivka in Donetsk region, officials said Thursday, after another person in the same region was killed by shelling Wednesday.

Faced with renewed aerial assaults by Moscow, Kyiv's mobile defence commander has said they have enough ammunition to withstand a few more powerful attacks but would soon need more deliveries.

Ukraine said it targeted a Russian command post near the Crimean port city of Sevastopol on Thursday, in an aerial attack that Russia said wounded one person.

- 'Biggest' swap of war -

The strikes come a day after Ukraine and Russia said Wednesday they had exchanged over 200 captive soldiers each, in what officials described as the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far.

The warring sides have carried out dozens of exchanges since Moscow invaded in February 2022, but the process stalled in the latter half of last year.

In near simultaneous statements, Russia and Ukraine announced they had received over 200 soldiers each following talks mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

"More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have been returned from Russian captivity," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram, posting a video of uniformed men celebrating.

Neither side had announced an exchange in almost five months, prompting Kyiv to accuse Moscow of deliberately blocking deals for political reasons.

Moscow's defence ministry said 248 of its servicemen had been returned, and that they were being provided with "medical and psychological assistance".

(A.Johnson--TAG)