As a result of a Ukrainian artillery attack, one civilian was killed and two were wounded in the town of Valuyki, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said shortly after midnight on Friday. The projectiles that managed to get through the Russian air defenses also destroyed three vehicles and set eight private homes on fire.
“Air defenses were activated, but there is damage on the ground,” Gladkov said on Telegram. “The power substation was damaged and the electricity supply to the town was disrupted.”
Preliminary information indicates that one civilian resident was killed, while medical aid was rendered on the scene to two more people who were injured, Gladkov said, adding that top regional and local officials are on the scene responding to the attack.
Critical facilities and public buildings were switched to alternative power generators until the electricity was eventually restored before 5am Friday.
Valuyki is a town of around 35,000 residents, 150km east of Belgorod and 15km north of the border with Ukraine. It came in range of Ukrainian artillery after Russian troops vacated the northeastern portion of Kharkov Region last week.
Two other settlements in Belgorod Region were also targeted by Ukrainian artillery on Thursday. A fire broke out at a gas station in the border village of Nekhoteevka, while 14 houses were damaged in the nearby village of Krasny Khutor.
This is the second Ukrainian attack this week resulting in civilian casualties. On Monday, Kiev’s forces targeted the town of Logachevka, south of Valuyki, killing one elderly woman and injuring four other civilians. One local resident was among the wounded, while the others were refugees from Ukraine, according to Gladkov. Logachevka’s electricity and gas supplies were also disrupted in the attack, and the regional administration ordered an evacuation.