Doctor killed in Ukrainian drone strike on Russian hospital – governor (PHOTOS)
The Ukrainian military carried out a drone strike on the town of Aleshki in Russia’s Kherson Region on Monday, targeting the local district hospital, regional governor, Vladimir Saldo, has said. At least one medic died in the attack, he added in a post on Telegram.
According to Saldo, the drone operator specifically targeted the office of the facility’s head doctor, Vladimir Kharlan. The explosion killed his deputy, Vasily Borisov – a local resident who “devoted his life to saving others,” the governor said, calling his death “an irreplaceable loss” for the regional medical community.
Kharlan sustained severe shrapnel injuries, Saldo said, adding that it was the second attempt on his life by the Ukrainian forces. The governor also accused Kiev of keeping its “bloody actions secret,” while its Western backers turn a blind eye.
Saldo also published several photos taken at the site of the attack. The images show a three-story building with most of its windows smashed. One photo also shows a room filled with debris and damaged furniture.
Kiev’s forces regularly launch drone attacks against Russian border regions, often targeting civilian infrastructure. The Russian military reports the destruction of dozens of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles on an almost daily basis.
On several occasions, Ukrainian strikes have targeted Russian regions further from the border. Last week, one such attack resulted in an explosion at a shopping mall in the city of Vladikavkaz, located about 850km from Kiev-controlled territory. One woman died in the incident and another person was injured, the head of the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, Sergey Menyailo, said at the time.
Earlier, Ukrainian forces targeted residential buildings and a factory in the Russian city of Kazan in a series of drone strikes that some Western analysts compared to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The strikes on Kazan caused significant property damage but no casualties, according to the local authorities.
