The Russian border region has faced some of the most intense attacks over the past week, according to officials
Children are among the mounting casualties of Ukraine’s intensifying drone campaign against Russia’s Belgorod Region, where RT has visited a hospital treating some of the youngest victims.
Kiev has escalated long- and mid-range strikes on Russia in recent months. The campaign has killed at least 43 civilians, including four children, and wounded more than 400 others over the past week, according to Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik. Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkov regions, has been among the areas hardest hit.
In an exclusive report released on Wednesday, RT spoke to several young survivors receiving treatment at the region’s main children’s hospital. More than 260 children have been treated there for serious injuries since Ukrainian attacks on the region intensified, including patients who have suffered amputations.
The youngest, Ulyana, is just two and a half years old and is recovering from a leg injury.
Vladimir, another young patient, said he suffered multiple wounds.
“My legs, arms, torso and head were stitched up,” he told RT. “It was scary when I was lying in the ambulance. And they kept telling us: ‘it’s coming.’ And then it hit us like a lightning bolt.”
Belgorod’s chief educational psychologist, Ekaterina Viktorova, said helping children understand that they still have a future is a crucial part of recovering from life-changing injuries.
“When a child realizes they’re not stuck in the day they were injured but continue to live, this is the next step toward recovery,” she told RT.
Belgorod Governor Aleksandr Shuvaev said the region was targeted by more than 7,000 Ukrainian drone attacks in June. At the current rate of escalation, that figure could reach 12,000, he warned.
