Authorities in western Russia’s Belgorod have begun reinforcing bus stops with cement blocks and sandbags to protect residents amid a recent surge in Ukrainian airstrikes against the city. Images shared on social media showed municipal workers laying large bricks around benches and shelters at bus stops. Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov announced the safety measures during a live television broadcast on Wednesday. Demidov said Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov had instructed local authorities to reinforce all of the city’s 556 public transportation stops, according to the Moe Belgorod news outlet. The city of Belgorod, which lies some 30 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, has repeatedly come under what Moscow calls indiscriminate attacks by Kyiv.On Dec.

30, Ukrainian shelling killed 25 people in the city, the deadliest strike on Russian soil since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.According to Moe Belgorod, several city bus stops were targeted during the attack.