A Ukrainian missile has killed a man in Belgorod Region, western Russia, after it hit his car. The tragic event being captured on video. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted several rockets and at least one fixed-wing drone on Thursday morning.
One clip circulating on the web and apparently captured by a dashcam depicts an explosion and black smoke billowing from a vehicle on a highway.
Other footage shows the strike’s aftermath, with another vehicle driving in the oncoming lane passing by the burning car.
An eyewitness recorded the first moments after the attack. The man is heard speaking on the phone, apparently to his mother, describing how “right in front of me just now a car exploded.” The driver then says he is “off to help the people.”
Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted several messages on his Telegram channel on Thursday morning, confirming that one person had been killed in the Ukrainian barrage. The official added that six more people had sustained injuries.
According to the governor, multiple Ukrainian drones and missiles rained down on the region’s eponymous capital Belgorod, causing material damage.
Another locality that came under fire was the border city of Grayvoron, Gladkov said.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses had thwarted an attempted “terrorist attack by the Kiev regime,” involving multiple launch rocket systems and at least one UAV.
On Wednesday, the ministry said that dozens of fixed-wing drones had been destroyed over several Russian regions. Aside from Belgorod and Bryansk regions, which border Ukraine, at least 29 UAVs made their way to Voronezh Region. One unmanned aircraft was intercepted as far away as Leningrad Region in northwestern Russia.
Several drones did manage to make it through and struck an oil refinery in Ryazan Region.
The previous day, some 25 incoming drones were downed, military officials reported. However, a fuel facility in Nizhny Novgorod Region still ended up being hit.
Over the course of the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly fired artillery, missiles, and explosive-laden drones at Russian border areas. The deadliest incident to date happened in late December 2023, when a Ukrainian attack claimed the lives of 25 people and left more than 100 wounded.