Eight injured in Ukrainian shelling of Belgorod governor

A private house and 15 cars were damaged in the attack on the Russian city, said Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Eight civilians were injured in a Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Belgorod early Monday, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

One woman is in critical condition and the other civilians have suffered moderate injuries, Gladkov wrote on Telegram. Belgorod is 42 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

“As a result of direct hits, a private house and more than 15 cars caught fire,” the governor said.

Windows were damaged in 21 residential buildings in Belgorod, a city of 330,000 people. Four private houses were also affected: windows were blown out, roofs and facades were hit by shrapnel, Gladkov added.

Videos from the scene showed rockets hitting vehicles parked outside apartment blocks. Another clip showed the damage a high-rise building suffered during the bombardment: balconies on the upper floors were destroyed and windows blown out.

The governor said he visited a neighborhood where a private home burned down as a result of the attack. “Fortunately, no one was injured. Residents heard the sirens and sought shelter in the bathroom, and when the fire broke out, their neighbors rushed to help. They quickly cleared the debris and cleared the path. They are true heroes,” he wrote.

Elsewhere in the Belgorod region, an apartment block and a private house were damaged in the village of Dubovoe.

According to Russia’s First Television Channel, the Ukrainian military probably used Czech-made RM-70 Vampire multiple rocket launchers during the recent bombing of Belgorod.

The Russian regions of Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk, all of which border Ukraine, have been the frequent target of cross-border attacks since February 2022. The artillery shelling and drone strikes targeted energy infrastructure and residential areas, resulting in dozens of civilian deaths and injuries and destruction of property.

Shelling of Belgorod has intensified in recent weeks as the Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region has stalled and Russia advances in Donbass. Kyiv’s forces have also tried several times to enter the Belgorod region but have been pushed back.

(RT.com)