Ukrainian forces fired more than 500 artillery shells across the border into Russia’s Belgorod Region on Tuesday, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said. The strikes did not cause any injuries but did damage residential buildings, he added.
In a statement on Telegram on Wednesday, Gladkov claimed 460 shells of various types had been fired at the Shebekino district alone, where local authorities recorded 26 explosive devices that had been dropped from drones.
“There were no casualties. In the town of Shebekino, strikes were mainly directed at residential areas,” the governor wrote. The exact number of homes and vehicles damaged is still unclear, although the shelling destroyed an agricultural facility, he added.
The settlement of Novaya Tavolzhanka in the same district was hit by 57 Ukrainian shells, resulting in 10 households suffering damage, Gladkov said.
Ukrainian forces also launched attacks on the village of Kozinka in the Grayvoron district, rupturing a gas pipeline and causing the authorities to shut off supplies to several streets.
Several other areas were targeted in the region, while Russian air defense systems destroyed two targets over the city of Belgorod, according to Gladkov. “No one was hurt. The falling fragments damaged three cars,” he added.
Ukrainian attacks continued into Wednesday, with Shebekino bearing the brunt once again. Gladkov said that the town had come under an intense bombardment by a Soviet-era Grad multiple rocket system. While the barrage did not cause any injuries, 40 shells hit an industrial zone, resulting in a fire, with another 20 shells landing across the town, he noted.
Kiev has significantly intensified its attacks on Belgorod Region and other border areas in recent weeks, resulting in civilian casualties and widespread destruction. Last month, the region was also targeted by a deadly cross-border raid.
Ukraine denied responsibility for the incursion, claiming it was an independent operation by collaborationist forces from the ‘Freedom of Russia Legion’ and ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’ (RDK), which are made up of fighters with neo-Nazi backgrounds.