Two killed in Ukrainian shelling of Russian regional capital (VIDEOS)
Two people have been killed and several others wounded in a shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod by Ukrainian forces, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.
The capital of Belgorod Region was targeted with an RM-70 Vampire multiple rocket launch system, supplied to Kiev by the Czech Republic, Gladkov wrote on Telegram on Saturday.
At least eight rockets heading towards the city – home to 334,000 people – were intercepted by air defenses, the governor said, but some projectiles made it through.
“Sadly, two people were killed: a man and a woman,” the governor wrote. The male victim was a truck driver. After his vehicle was hit by a rocket, it crashed into a bus, Gladkov said, adding that none of the passengers were hurt.
Elsewhere in the city, a woman was killed by an explosion, while her son suffered severe injuries. Medics are currently fighting for his life, according to the governor. Two other people suffered head injuries, he added.
Windows were smashed in seven apartment blocks, while at least 15 vehicles were damaged in the shelling, Gladkov reported.
Several homes were also damaged in the villages of Dubovoye, Severny and Razumnoye elsewhere in the Belgorod Region, he said.
Also on Saturday, a drone strike caused a major blaze at an oil refinery in the city of Syzran in Russia’s Samara Region, local governor Dmitry Azarov has confirmed, writing on Telegram. According to Azarov, another UAV attempted to strike an oil refinery in the nearby city of Novokuibyshevsk, but the attack was unsuccessful.
On Friday, one person was killed and several others wounded in a shelling of Belgorod as the Ukrainian military intensified their attacks on Russian border regions in the run-up to the presidential election, running from Friday until Sunday.
Besides shelling and drone strikes, Kiev’s forces have attempted several incursions into Belgorod and Kursk Regions this week. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the attacks were repelled, with Ukraine suffering over 1,500 casualties and losing dozens of pieces of equipment, including a number of tanks and APCs.
