In Belgorod, the police suspended first aid courses organized by volunteers, which were supposed to take place on July 16 and 17. This is reported by the network Belgorod edition Fonar.tv.
Volunteers managed to conduct only one three-hour lesson, which taught how to do artificial respiration, stop bleeding and experience shock. After this lesson, the police came to the premises where the courses were held, interrupted the work and demanded that the organizers and participants present their documents.
The security forces explained their visit with complaints from citizens about the holding of a sectarian event. The organizers of the courses were informed about this by the deputy head of the city department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Denis Puzakov.
“You wanted to enlighten the citizens of the Russian Federation, the glorious residents of the city of Belgorod, how first medical aid is provided. Based on what? What prompted you to do this? This event has not been approved… I have a message from the citizens of the Russian Federation, glorious residents of the city of Belgorod, that some kind of incomprehensible sectarian movement is taking place here.”
The police took volunteers and visitors outside to record their passport details and statements. The police also searched the premises. The police were interested in whether the courses were paid or not, whether illegal actions were committed, whether they tried to sell something at the event.
The main organizer of the courses, Mikhail Zolotov, told Lantern that the classes were completely free, and the administration did not respond to the notice of the event.
“On July 3, a rocket flew into Belgorod. The guys turned to me with a proposal: "Let's create a seminar for Belgorod residents to maintain morale, raise awareness, what to do if something happens …". It was absolutely free for Belgorod residents: free participation, free entry. We notified the administration, the Ministry of Youth Policy about the event. No reaction. Only there was a letter from the Ministry of Youth Policy with a proposal to hold a consultation on further measures on Monday. There has been no response to our letters," Zolotov said.
At the beginning of the month, residents of the city asked the governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov to organize free first aid courses. The head of the region supported this proposal.
The Belgorod region is the region of Russia most suffering from the Kremlin's aggression in Ukraine. From here, rockets are fired at Kharkov in the evenings (and sometimes receive return fire), there is a staging post for Russian troops before being sent to the war zone. The inhabitants of three Belgorod villages had to be resettled due to shelling, and fortifications for firing positions appeared on the roads in the border zone. And while in Ukrainian chats they are calling for revenge for the attacks on Odessa and Kremenchug, Belgorod residents are watching this with concern, preparing for bombings and even the invasion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The shelling of Belgorod on July 3, with casualties and destruction, showed that these fears were not groundless. The Insider talked to Belgorod residents about what life looks like on the Russian side of the border and what the locals think about the war, the governor and their future.