A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Belgorod Region has killed seven people and injured dozens of others, including children, local authorities have said.
In a statement on Monday morning, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that the strike targeted two minibuses carrying workers to a local enterprise, as well as another car. The attack took place close to the village of Beryozovka in the southwestern part of the region, near the Ukrainian border.
The region’s operational headquarters said the raid targeted vehicles carrying employees from a local pig-breeding farm.
“Unfortunately, as a result of the explosion, six people died on the spot from their injuries,” Gladkov said, offering his condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the deceased.
While initial reports indicated that at least 35 people were injured, the Russian Health Ministry later said as many as 40 were wounded, including three children. One man is in serious condition after suffering an abdomen wound, Gladkov said, while many others sustained shrapnel wounds and are being treated in hospital.
The Agro Belogorye conglomerate, the owner of the targeted vehicles, later reported that the death toll had risen to seven.
The governor released a picture of what appears to be one of the targeted minibuses. Two large holes were seen in the roof and the vehicle’s windows were completely blown out.
Russian border regions are subject to near-daily Ukrainian drone and artillery strikes, many of which target civilians and critical infrastructure, causing widespread casualties. On Friday, two people were wounded when a Ukrainian drone raid hit a passenger bus in Belgorod Region.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow could “at some point” establish a “cordon sanitaire” in Kiev-controlled areas to prevent repeated Ukrainian cross-border attacks.