Residents of the town of Grayvoron in Belgorod Oblast have begun a mass petition to Putin, asking for protection from shelling. They assert that the town is "almost destroyed." The addresses of the signature collection points were published by a local resident, Alina Denisova, on June 26.
Grayvoron residents created an online petition on March 19 after experiencing almost daily shelling. They described the town as "almost destroyed," with no electricity, water, or mobile connection. The authors of the petition said they did not receive humanitarian aid.
"There are almost no villages without destruction in our Grayvoronovsky District. Does our government not see this? We have persevered for these two years, we have assisted the frontlines, we went to the elections to support you. Please, do not leave Grayvoron in trouble!" wrote the residents to Putin.
Three months later, in late June, they started collecting physical signatures to address Putin and the new Minister of Defense, Andrey Belousov. Residents believe the situation in Grayvoron has only worsened; the town experiences constant shelling, drone attacks, electricity shortages, and disrupted food deliveries. The appeal can be signed in the remaining shops and cafes in Grayvoron, as well as at transport stops in Belgorod.
"Grayvoron residents have always stood up for themselves. Now is the time when, if we do not speak up, nobody will hear us. It’s better to do something and regret it than to do nothing and regret it even more," said Dmitry Korpusov, a member of the initiative group and former head of the village of Gora-Podol in the Grayvoronovsky District.