VORONEZH. Aug 28 (Interfax) - Local residents continue to be recruited for self-defense units in Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, the region's Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
"We are now forming the second self-defense regiment," Gladkov said in televised remarks on Monday.
People who have joined self-defense units do not receive uniforms immediately, he said.
"If we see that a person has come, has started training and has been doing it conscientiously for a lengthy period of time, we then make a decision and provide him with a uniform and necessary gear," the governor said.
Eight territorial defense battalions made up of around 3,000 people had been set up in the Belgorod region by the beginning of August.
The border areas of the Belgorod region have come under sporadic attack from Ukraine since February 24, 2022. There have been civilian casualties. The region has declared a yellow (high) level of terrorist alert and a state of emergency in 15 communities along the border.