Ukrainian-Russian border – Russians fight against Russians in Shebekino – News

The war against Ukraine has arrived on Russian soil: border crossings by pro-Ukrainian fighters are increasing, and the small town of Schebekino in particular is said to be under heavy fire. A resident describes the situation.

Schebekino is actually a sleepy Russian provincial town with around 40,000 inhabitants – around ten kilometers from the border with Ukraine. But the Russian war of aggression against its neighbors has brought chaos and devastation to Schebekino in recent weeks.

Shebekino is a ghost town – it looks like Chernobyl.

Burning houses can be seen on videos on social media, and rocket and artillery hits can be heard.

“Schebekino is a ghost town – it looks like Chernobyl,” says Andrej, who lives in the region and grew up in Schebekino. Andrei fears repression and therefore does not want his real name to be mentioned.

However, the city is now under the control of the Russian military, he says. The soldiers had restored order: Previously, residents who had stayed behind in the city had started looting abandoned shops and houses.

In the Belgorod region, where Schebekino is located, there have been repeated airstrikes since the start of the large-scale attack on Ukraine. The region is an important logistical hub for the Russian invasion. Fuel depots and airfields were shelled, presumably by the Ukrainian army.

However, the latter distances itself from the attacks on Russia, because such attacks do not go down well with Ukraine’s western supporters.

Russians fight with Russians

But this May, the attacks on Russian soil reached a new dimension: pro-Ukrainian fighters – actually volunteer groups consisting of Russians who oppose the Putin regime – crossed the border to Russia several times and engaged in skirmishes with the Russian security forces. They are said to have temporarily conquered entire villages and captured Russian soldiers. Thousands of civilians had to be evacuated and taken to the city of Belgorod.

Legend:

People across the region fear that they too will soon look like Schebekino – here in a recording from Wednesday, June 21, 2023.

Imago/Anton Vergun

The violent attacks would have startled people in the region, says Andrej: “People are scared and worried. I also packed a suitcase so I can flee quickly.” However, many people have gotten used to the situation and remain positive, says Andrej.

This is likely to cause frustration in the Ukrainian military. Experts believe the aim of the raids is not only to tie down Russian troops and distract them from the Ukrainian counteroffensive, but also to make the Russian population question the point of the Kremlin’s so-called “special operation”.

There are even people who now say that Ukraine should be completely annihilated.

But the events in Shebekino had the opposite effect, says Andrei, an opponent of the war. People criticize the government and are angry with the media because they hardly get any coverage. But very few would have changed their mind: “There are even people who now say that we should take more consistent action against Ukraine and destroy it completely.”

The fact that the attackers were Russian citizens did not go down well with the population. Fueled by Russian state propaganda, hatred against Ukrainians has spread, says Andrei – against the people on the other side of the border, where people from the Belgorod region used to go shopping and go on vacation.