INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Kremlin has tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy on the home front, but the recent strikes on Belgorod have brought the Ukraine
conflict closer to home for many Russians.A series of aerial attacks from Kyiv's forces in Belgorod last month killed 25 people, the worst
attack on Russian civilians since the conflict began nearly two years ago.The head of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Tuesday that
three people had been injured by debris from downed Ukrainian weapons.He said Russian air defense systems in the city had repelled 10
attacks overnight, though resulting debris left several homes damaged.City officials last week encouraged residents to place tape over their
windows to stop them from shattering during strikes, a widespread practice across Ukraine.Hours after Peskov's comments, the Defense
Ministry said its forces had downed four Ukrainian drones over the Kursk and Oryol regions in western Russia.Oryol Governor Andrey Klychkov
said three civilians were injured during an attack on "fuel and energy facilities" in the region.Even though the front line in Ukraine is
largely static, Shoigu on Tuesday assured Russian defense officials that his forces were in control."We retain the strategic initiative
along the entire line of contact," he said, accusing the United States of pressuring Ukraine to keep fighting against Russia.Western backing
for Ukraine, Shoigu said, would not change the outcome but only prolong fighting.He also said Russia this year would step up production of
drones, a weapon increasingly used by both the Ukrainian and Russian militaries.Separately, Ukrainian authorities said the death toll from a
Russian strike in the west of the country a day earlier had risen to three."Unfortunately, as a result of rescue operations, one more
Sincere condolences to the family," Khmelnytskyi's Mayor Oleksandr Symchyshyn said on social media.The attacks in the western region came
as part of a country-wide barrage that left at least five people dead and dozens more injured.Kyiv later increased the toll from Russian
strikes in December after another corpse was found in the capital, saying the new toll was 33 killed.
