Russian President Vladimir Putin has described fresh attacks from the Ukrainian side on the Russian border region of Belgorod as an attempt to disrupt the country's presidential election.
"I am convinced that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to this with even greater solidarity," Putin said on Friday during a video link with representatives of the National Security Council.
The people would not allow themselves to be intimidated, Putin asserted.
The Russian strongman wants to be confirmed in office in the presidential poll. Voting started on Friday and runs through Sunday.
Putin, 71, voted online from his residence near Moscow.
Numerous civilians were injured in several days of attacks against the Russian border region of Belgorod and also against the Kursk region.
Putin charged that with these attacks, Ukraine was once again trying to distract from "defeats" it was facing.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years, but has not yet been able to reconquer large parts of territories occupied by Russia.
Putin has allowed voting in the occupied parts of the contested regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson, in violation of international law. Ukraine condemned the voting in the war zone as illegal and called on the international community not to recognize the election.
