Belgorod resident says life in Russia is 'simply hopeless' amid drone strikes, power outages, intercepted call suggests
A resident of Russia's Belgorod region has complained that life in Russia is "simply hopeless" amid Ukrainian drone strikes and power outages, according to a call intercepted by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) and posted on social media on Oct. 13.
In the call, a resident of Belgorod Oblast, which borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts, claims that she witnessed a large Ukrainian drone attack.
"Dozens of (strike drones) were launched somewhere. Can you imagine?! I look and it's flying. Where will it fly, and what will it do, what is it targeting? It's simply hopeless," a woman said.
"Another day has passed, and glory to God. That's how things are now. We've lived to see this, well done," she added.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the veracity of the intercepted call.
Russia's Belgorod Oblast is regularly used as a staging area for Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Russia has since 2022 repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power grid, gas facilities, and heating systems ahead of winter, aiming to make living conditions unbearable for civilians. These attacks have ramped in in recent weeks.
Last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukraine would retaliate against Russia's energy sector if Moscow again attempted to plunge Ukraine into a blackout.
On Oct. 11, falling debris from downed missiles sparked fires and caused damage in the city of Belgorod, the regional governor said.
A Ukrainian attack on Oct. 5 reportedly damaged energy facilities and disrupted power supplies in the Russian city of Belgorod.
Nearly 40,000 Belgorod residents were left without electricity after the strike, which caused significant damage across seven municipalities.
"Opinions among the population of the Russian province are becoming increasingly depressive due to the war unleashed by the Kremlin authorities," HUR said in the post.
