A Ukrainian strike in Russia’s Belgorod Region has killed a woman who was walking her dogs, with two other people injured in the attack, local Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.
In a statement on Friday, Gladkov noted that while Russian air defense systems had been activated, the attack still resulted in several casualties. One Ukrainian shell exploded meters away from the woman with her dogs, the governor said.
“[She] died at the scene from her wounds. One of the dogs was killed, the other was picked up by the woman’s daughter,” Gladkov added, expressing condolences to the victim’s relatives.
A video shared on social media shows the woman and the two pets on the sidewalk before a sudden explosion nearby. The victim immediately collapses and remains motionless, while one of the dogs shows signs of life.
Ukrainian attacks also wounded a woman who was hit by a shell fragment in her lower body and a man who received a head injury, Gladkov said. He noted that they had been hospitalized and are receiving all the necessary treatment.
The shelling caused damage to residential buildings in Belgorod, with windows shattered in 31 apartments, one private household, and four healthcare facilities, the governor stated. Twelve cars were damaged, four of which were completely burned out. There has also been damage to property elsewhere in Belgorod Region, he added.
The area, along with other Russian territories bordering Ukraine, is routinely targeted by artillery and drone attacks by Kiev. One of the deadliest strikes in recent weeks in Belgorod occurred on December 30, killing 25 people and injuring more than 100 others. Further Ukrainian shelling of the city in mid-February claimed seven lives.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that Moscow could establish a “cordon sanitaire” on Kiev-controlled territories to protect the Russian population from indiscriminate strikes.