Nearly 60,000 residents left Russia's Belgorod amid Ukraine conflict — governor

Nearly 60,000 residents of Russia’s Belgorod region have left the area since the start of the “special military operation,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.

“We estimate the number of those who left based on the deregistration of compulsory medical insurance (OMS) policies — this is around 60,000 people. Most of them are residents of border areas. We cannot name the exact number of those who have relocated, but overall, we are not seeing negative consequences for the region’s economy,” Gladkov said on November 24, per Caliber.Az.

He expressed confidence that 90% of those who left will definitely return home after the end of the “special military operation.”

The Belgorod Region, a border oblast in southwestern Russia directly adjacent to Ukraine's Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts, has experienced significant civilian displacement since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This exodus stems from intensified Ukrainian cross-border strikes, artillery shelling, and drone attacks targeting Russian military positions, infrastructure, and settlements near the frontier.

By Khagan Isayev