Belgorod Region Governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov says at least five people have been killed in missile strikes on the city of Belgorod in Southwestern Russia.
The state-run RIA Novosti news agency published a video showing a damaged shopping centre, saying at least two people died in the attack.
Gladkov said at least five people died and 18 people, including five children, were wounded in the attack.
Unconfirmed reports on the Telegram messaging app said as many as eight to 12 people may have been killed.
Security camera footage published online showed the moment of the missile strike on the Belgorod shopping centre.
The Defense Ministry said it had intercepted 14 Ukrainian RM-70 multiple rocket launcher shells over the Belgorod region at around noon. It did not comment on the casualties.
The governor of the neighbouring Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, said the attack on Belgorod “deliberately” targeted civilians, adding that there were “many” dead and wounded in a local shopping centre, outside a school and in residential courtyards.
Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
Belgorod, which sits near the Ukrainian border, has borne the brunt of an increasing number of drone and missile strikes since December.
Authorities began evacuating hundreds of residents from the city last month after officials said a Ukrainian attack in late December had killed 25 people.
Some 300 residents have already left the city, one of the biggest civilian evacuations on Russian soil since Moscow launched hostilities against Ukraine in February 2022.
AFP / Titilayo Kupoliyi
Subscribe to our Telegram and YouTube Channels and also join our Whatsapp Update Group
pub-5160901092443552
Related Posts
