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According to a report by 7x7, conscripts have been deployed to the Belgorod region since last September to guard the border with Ukraine. At least seven of them have been killed in action since the beginning of the war.
According to the publication, while conscripts are officially designated to be stationed outside the war zone, they are reportedly exposed to gunfire and injuries. Relatives of these soldiers have shared with journalists that they are positioned in such proximity to the border that they can visually observe Ukrainian servicemen. They also reside in dugouts, engage in trench digging, and carry out border guard duties. However, the soldiers themselves assert that they receive minimal training in shooting and weapon handling.
According to a statement made by the mother of a conscript, she attended a meeting with military prosecutor Denis Mikheyev in Belgorod. During the meeting, Mikheyevallegedly mentioned that the soldiers' primary objective is to gather and relay information in the event of an enemy advancement.
“They only have time to report that the border has been breached, and then they die, because they can't defend themselves against the enemy. They are positioned in from of the border guards, like targets. Grown up guys, who willingly joined the border guards and receive compensation for their service, remain behind our untrained kids,” the woman said.
During the January 16 incident in the Belgorod region, when a highway checkpoint in Shebekino came under fire, three to five conscripts were killed within a single day.
On May 22, an incident took place in the Graivoron district of the Belgorod region, where a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group infiltrated the border area. As a result, a counter-terrorism operation (CTO) was initiated, and a portion of the population was evacuated for safety. Following the raid, artillery and mortar shelling targeted the border districts of the region, causing injuries to 12 residents as acknowledged by the authorities.
A video depicting the destroyed Graivoron border crossing point has surfaced online. According to the “war correspondent” Alexander Kots, who cited a subscriber serving as a border guard in the Belgorod region, conscripts were responsible for guarding this particular border post. In the subscriber's opinion, the attack by Ukrainian forces was deliberately aimed at this vulnerable spot, indicating that they targeted the “weakest point in the defense.”