With Ukraine now firing Western-supplied long-range missiles, Russian borderland regions prepare for ‘harsh winter’ ahead

Meduza.io

The head of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine and has sustained shelling and missile attacks for months, said on Wednesday that the area’s operational situation could deteriorate this winter, leading to possible power and heating outages.

“We're now preparing for a harsh winter without [heating], without electricity, and with no way for fire trucks and rescue vehicles to reach people,” warned Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. He said his administration has prepared by stockpiling firewood, assembling cast-iron stoves, and buying generators, electronic warfare equipment, and ATVs. Gladkov said Belgorod’s regional government has invested in backup power generation systems and water supply infrastructure in borderland areas since Ukraine’s first counterattacks in 2022.

On Tuesday, November 19, the governor of Russia’s Rostov region ordered emergency evacuation drills and inspections of local shelters due to the threat of Ukrainian strikes using American ATACMS missiles. Governor Yuri Slyusar said the region faces “a tough stretch” and warned that “long-range missiles present a different kind of threat.”

Further reading

• ‘A different type of threat’ More Russian regions prepare bomb shelters amid fears of Ukrainian ATACMS strikes