RUSSIA: Two civilians were reportedly killed today, June 2, in shelling on Russia's Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine, whereas  Kyiv was hit by Russian strikes overnight for a sixth consecutive day.

After being somewhat spared at the start of the year, the Ukrainian capital has experienced virtually nightly air attacks since the middle of the month. The Belgorod region, which has recently been subjected to shelling and border breaches, has also seen an increase in attacks.

"Shrapnel struck oncoming autos. The two passengers in one of them, two women, passed away immediately from their injuries, said Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The shelling that struck a community in the Shebekino district severely injured two more people, although other settlements were also targeted without any known casualties. Vladimir Zhdanov, the district chief for Shebekino, stated that despite challenging circumstances, authorities were still evacuating people.

Because of the potential of shelling,  Zhdanov stated, "Unfortunately, it is impossible to organise a mass bus departure or to gather people at a particular point." Following yet another armed incursion attempt, residents of Shebekino have been flooding into the displaced areas of the regional capital of Belgorod since Thursday. "There are a lot of families with kids, including babies and people with disabilities. "We will make every effort to take the best care of them," Belgorod mayor Valentin Demidov stated on Thursday.
Governor Gladkov said, 2,500 people have been housed in a number of temporary facilities throughout the area, including the sports arena in the regional capital.

On Thursday, the Russian army said it had repelled an assault by the Ukrainian army to invade Belgorod by using its air force and artillery. Up to 70 militants, five tanks, four armoured vehicles, seven pickup trucks, and a Kamaz truck were all involved in the attack, said the army.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, lamented the lack of response from the international community when asked about the increase in occurrences in Belgorod despite "every opportunity to see the footage describing strikes on residential buildings, social infrastructure." The West has been charged by the Kremlin with pressuring Ukraine into "reckless acts" in the past.

The U.S has said it does not support attacks inside Russia and is instead providing Kyiv with equipment and training to defend itself. Questions have been raised about Russia's intentions due to the increased attacks on Kyiv, which are far from the war's main flashpoints in the country's east and south.

AFP spoke to experts who said , the Kremlin would aim to thwart Ukraine's intended counteroffensive and weaken its air defences.

In a new series of strikes that occurred overnight and left two people injured in Kyiv, Ukraine claimed on Friday that it had destroyed all 15 missiles and 21 drones. The head of the capital's city administration, Sergiy Popko, posted on Telegram, "In the last six days, (Russians) have already carried out six attacks on the city!"

On Thursday E people died, including a 9-year-old child, as a result of falling rocket fragments in Kyiv. Yaroslav Ryabchuk, the husband of one of the victims, claimed that the shelter where they frequently sought refuge from Russian airstrikes had been shut down.

People would be "held responsible," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a press conference in Moldova. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, announced on Friday that he had made steps to restrict "round-the-clock access to shelters".

Klitschko warned the populace that "the enemy is now shelling the capital with ballistic missiles" and "cruise missiles," adding that they could only have "a few minutes" to take cover. If they understood that they wouldn't get to the shelter right away, he encouraged residents to take cover in their homes with two walls separating them from the outside world.

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