Three soldiers with a local territorial defense unit and a Russia 24 cameraman were injured in Belgorod Region, Russia on Monday, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.
The journalist received the most severe wounds, getting hit by shrapnel in his shoulder and abdomen, Gladkov wrote in a Telegram post. The cameraman was hospitalized in serious condition, while another person was taken to the hospital with shrapnel wounds to his limbs. Two other soldiers received light wounds and were treated on site.
Emergency services are now working at the location of the blast, the governor said. He did not elaborate on the exact type or origins of the explosive device, revealing only that the incident occurred in Shebekino, a town near the Russian-Ukrainian border which has been routinely subjected to indiscriminate artillery and missile strikes by Kiev during the conflict.
In recent months, Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian border regions, with Belgorod being one of the prime targets. The region has endured numerous attacks on residential areas with rocket artillery and drones. It has also seen several botched incursion attempts by Ukrainian forces.
In early May, Russian troops began a push into the neighboring Ukrainian Kharkov Region, seizing control of multiple towns and villages along the border in an effort to create a buffer zone to stop further attacks on Russian soil.