Belgorod Oblast

	WARNING: The Russian war on Ukraine has turned the Oblast into a war zone. The Ukrainian military has been conducting artillery and drone strikes and infantry raids into the Oblast's towns and villages.
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	(Information last updated 20 Mar 2024)

Belgorod Oblast is a region in Russia's Chernozemye region, bordering Ukraine to the south and west, Kursk Oblast to the north, and Voronezh Oblast to the east.

Cities

• 1 Belgorod — a fairly small (~300,000 residents) provincial city with many surviving cathedrals from the turn of the 16th century onward as well as a prominent diorama-museum of the Battle of Kursk
• 2 Stary Oskol — the second city of Belgorod Oblast, which has considerably less on offer to the tourist than Belgorod

Other destinations

• 1 Prokhorovka — site of the WWII Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history, and now home to monuments and cathedrals honoring the memory of the many who died.
• 2 Shebekino — town famous for its history and many attractions in the surrounding area.
• 3 Les na Vorskle Nature Reserve (also Forest on the Vorskla River)

Understand

Belgorod Oblast is a relatively unpopulated provincial area of the Russian-Ukrainian borderlands. The city of Belgorod is by no means a major tourist destination, but that in itself might make it more attractive to travelers favoring the less beaten path, and it has a good deal to offer a tourist interested in a more slowly paced, small, provincial capital. The region's biggest attraction, however, is its battlefield legacy as one of the principal stages of the Battle of Kursk, a World War II battle of an extraordinary scale and importance that is one of the principal turning points of the war. Military buffs, relatives of the deceased, and curious travelers will find that, although there is a museum dedicated to the battle in Belgorod, the majority of interesting sites are in and around the northern town of Prokhorovka.

Talk

Knowledge of Russian is vital, unless you are travelling with a guide.

Get in

Flights arrive to Belgorod from Moscow. Trains arrive from Moscow through Kursk and Voronezh.

Get around

Travelers can easily reach Prokhorovka via the rail line running between Kursk and Belgorod.

Stay safe

As of 2024, drone and missile attacks from Ukraine are routine in this oblast.

Go next

• Crimea
• Ukraine