Belgorod Shuts Down Malls Due to ‘Operational Situation’

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“Due to an operational situation, we’re temporarily suspending the operation of large shopping centers,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram, without elaborating on the nature of the threat or when malls might reopen. At least 10 major malls operate in the region.

Earlier in the day, Gladkov said Ukrainian drones had damaged the regional government building and a home, though no injuries were reported. Over the past 24 hours, he added, nearly a dozen regional districts, equivalent to U.S. counties, had come under drone attack, causing property damage and at least one injury.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense systems shot down 11 of the 122 Ukrainian drones launched into the Belgorod region overnight.

Belgorod has faced regular cross-border shelling since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as well as periodic incursions

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