After the Russian army entered Ukrainian territory, residents on the other side of the border, in the region of Belgorod, were caught out by a war they did not expect. FRANCE 24's correspondent Elena Volochine reports.
Less than 15 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, war took the Russian inhabitants of Belgorod by surprise in the middle of the night, right after an announcement by President Vladimir Putin.
Residents were woken by the sound of helicopters and bombings. They were not told that an offensive was coming.
"My sister called me at 5:30 in the morning and told me, 'Putin announced there would be war in Ukraine.' Half an hour later it all started. We were afraid, very afraid," said Olga, a resident of the area.
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