The attack, which hit a residential area of Belgorod, has also reportedly left several people killed and injured
© photo of an eyewitness
A Ukrainian strike on the Russian city of Belgorod has killed two children and injured several other people, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.
Writing on Telegram on Saturday, the official said that the barrage had hit the center of the city, located about 40km from the Ukrainian border, although he did not provide details on what weapons had been used. He said all information on casualties was preliminary, but added that the attack had hit a residential sector.
The Telegram channel Baza reported that the death toll had risen to four people. It also said that at least three people had been injured in the attack, adding that two of them sustained their wounds after a Ukrainian shell fragment hit a car. According to the outlet, one shell fell directly on an ice skating rink in the downtown area.
Baza also shared pictures from the scene of the attack, showing several vehicles burning in the parking lot, with plumes of black smoke rising into the air. Another photo showed a burning truck parked near a New Year’s tree.
Gladkov later said that the threat of missile attacks remained and issued an alert to that effect, urging the city’s residents to seek shelter. The warning was echoed by local emergency services, who told residents to leave their homes and move to safe places. They also asked them to turn off the electricity, gas and water before leaving.
RIA Novosti reported that authorities were blocking traffic in the city downtown and shared footage of several police cars parked in the middle of the road, with officers ordering oncoming vehicles to stop.
Another disturbing video shared by Baza appears to show the direct aftermath of the strike, with several people cowering on the ground and explosions and screams heard nearby.
Ukrainian forces routinely shell and launch drone attacks on Russian border regions, killing civilians and damaging infrastructure. In the early hours of Saturday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said that Kiev had launched an attack on the Belgorod and neighboring Bryansk regions, adding that the Russian military had destroyed 13 projectiles over Belgorod Region.
The local governor, however, said that one projectile nevertheless had hit a house in the city of Belgorod itself, killing one person and injuring four others, including one child.
READ MORE: Ukraine attacks Russian border regions – officials
The Ukrainian outlet RBK claimed, citing sources, that the Ukrainian missile attack orchestrated by security and defense forces on Belgorod had targeted Russian military installations in the area. It also described the barrage as retaliation to Moscow’s recent attacks on Ukrainian facilities.
On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that in recent days the military had conducted 50 “group” strikes and a single “massive” barrage using precision missiles and drones that had hit a wide range of military targets inside Ukraine.
