In the Belgorod region, missile alerts are announced almost every day, while the area comes under attacks by multiple launch rocket systems and drones. The article says the number of civilian deaths has approached 500. Novaya Gazeta Europe journalist Viktoria Litvin, who is herself from Belgorod, spoke with fellow residents about daily life in the city. Their names were changed for safety reasons.
Residents recall places now tied to strikes: the Mayak department store, Sobornaya Square, the area near the Kosmos cultural center where a FAB-500 bomb fell next to an apartment building, and the Pobeda cinema, associated with the most haunting footage from the shelling of December 30, 2023. Interviewees say people in Belgorod have learned to distinguish incoming fire, air defense blasts, drones, and MLRS volleys by sound.
Almost everyone follows a local alert channel warning of missile danger. During alarms, people run to bathrooms, basements, and shelters, and those in the city center know where the nearest protected spots are. Over time, however, some residents say their reactions have dulled: where they once hid during every strike, many now keep going about daily life, especially when drones are involved.
Blackouts have become another major problem. According to residents, they began in September of last year. People have bought flashlights, camping stoves, candles, power banks, and fuel for generators. They say the worst part is losing communication, when they cannot call or message relatives and friends to find out whether they are safe.
“When this permanent violence is directed at you, you end up asking for only one thing: a quiet night and a peaceful sky,” one interviewee says.
The interviewees speak of their love for Belgorod and their reluctance to leave, while also expressing disappointment with the authorities. In their account, anxiety and exhaustion have replaced panic, and the city’s symbols have become shelters and red signs on apartment entrances reading: “In case of missile danger, the door is open.”