At least five dogs have died after burning debris from a Ukrainian drone fell on a shelter for abandoned animals in Belgorod Region this week, RIA Novosti has reported.
Seven unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were shot down by air defenses late on Tuesday, according to local authorities. In the city of Stroitel, debris from one of the UAVs tore through the roof of the dog shelter, setting it on fire.
Svetlana Buchneva, head of the “Kitten Woof” veterinary clinic where the injured dogs were taken, told the outlet that along with the five dogs that were killed, 72 others – about a third of the animals that were in the main building of the shelter where the fire occurred – were injured.
“Even those who were not harmed by the blaze inhaled carbon monoxide, which is very dangerous,” Buchneva said, adding that there is no electricity in the main building, and the rooms are flooded. “Everything looks very bad there and the building, most likely, will not be restored, because everything inside is destroyed.”
Local vets and volunteers wrote on social media that at least 30 adult dogs and puppies urgently need foster care.
The Russian regions of Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk, which all border Ukraine, have been frequent targets of cross-border fire since the outbreak of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. Shelling and drone strikes have been aimed at energy infrastructure and residential areas, resulting in dozens of civilian deaths and injuries, as well as the destruction of property.
The bombardment of Belgorod has intensified over the past two months amid the stalling of the Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk Region and Russian advances in Donbass. Kiev’s forces have also attempted to enter the Belgorod Region on several occasions, but have been pushed back.