Six dead after Ukrainian strikes using US-made HIMARS – Russian governor
Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack on Rylsk in Russia’s Kursk Region on Friday, killing six people, including a child, and injuring ten others, acting governor of the region Aleksandr Khinshtein has said. The official added that Kiev's troops had used US-made HIMARS missiles.
The strikes caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure throughout the city, damaging a a house of culture, a primary school, and living and study quarters belonging to Rylsk Aviation College. The attack also shattered windows in apartment buildings and impacted several private homes as well as 15 or more vehicles.
“What happened today is a huge tragedy for all of us,” Khinshtein wrote in a Telegram post. The work of emergency services has been complicated by repeated attacks from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the governor added.
He expressed confidence that those responsible for the attack would face retribution and that all destroyed infrastructure will be repaired.
In a short video message posted on his Telegram channel on Friday, Khinshtein accused Kiev’s forces of “deliberately choosing civilian facilities [and] social facilities as their targets.”
Several Russian Telegram channels and media outlets have published what appears to be footage of the aftermath of the attack shot by eyewitnesses. In some of these video clips, several burning cars and damaged buildings can be seen.
Rylsk is located about 30 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and has a population of around 15,000.
Ukrainian troops invaded Kursk Region on August 6, with a force reportedly of some 35,000 troops. The area they control has been steadily shrinking in recent months, but they still maintain a presence in some parts of the region.
