Russian officials in the regions bordering Ukraine have started thinking about taking their relatives “somewhere else from here” after reports that the USA, France and the UK authorized Kyiv to fire long-range missiles deep into Russia, interlocutors in regional administrations have told Verstka. According to the newspaper, Voronezh Region, a region bordering Ukraine but not as badly affected as Belgorod and Kursk Regions, reacted most vigorously. One local official said that it was “a total disaster” – “we need to pack up and take our relatives somewhere far away.”
Officials also began studying “maps with the radius of impact of missiles” and potential targets for attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Among them are the Baltimore airfield on the southwestern outskirts of Voronezh and major local industrial enterprises. However, a local official noted in a conversation with Verstka that the airfield has long been a target for Ukrainian drones and important equipment has already been redeployed from it. In turn, industrial facilities within the city limits of the million-strong city “do not directly work” for the military and are “covered well” by air defense. “Who will spend expensive missiles on such targets?” – wondered the publication’s interlocutor. At the same time, in Belgorod and Kursk regions, the mood of the authorities is more peaceful. “Nerves should be taken care of, they will come in handy,” a source familiar with the situation told Verstka.
On 17 November, sources of The New York Times reported that after several months of deliberation, the administration of US President Joe Biden had given Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory with long-range ATACMS missiles. According to them, the initial target of the strikes will be Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk region, part of which the AFU occupied in early August. Russia has assembled a 50,000-strong force, including about 10,000 DPRK soldiers, to push the AFU out from near Kursk.
