A missile strike on the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukraine border on Thursday killed six people, including a child, according to a Russian official.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Russian city of Belgorod, which lies some 40 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, has been reportedly hit by an aerial attack.
State-owned media reported that a shopping centre had been struck in the southwest of the city.
The governor of the neighbouring Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, reported that a school stadium had also been hit.
Six people were killed, according to a Russian official, whilst 18 were injured. The governor of the Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, claimed there were five children among the injured.
“There are many casualties: dead and wounded,” he said on Telegram.
Videos posted on social media showed shops shattered and surrounded by debris, with the sound of sirens in the background.
The line of fire
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, air defence systems destroyed 14 rockets over the wider Belgorod region on Thursday. The ministry claimed that Ukraine had launched them from an RM-70 Vampire multiple-launch rocket system around midday local time.
Belgorod has been the target of multiple air attacks as the Ukrainian military tries to make the war as visible and tangible as possible within Russia itself.
In December, 25 people were killed in a deadly drone and rocket attack on the city, prompting hundreds of civilians to evacuate.
The assaults have undermined President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reassure Russians that life in the country is largely going on as normal.
Recent events on the ground in Ukraine have seen the war grind to something of a stalemate. Both sides have claimed advances or victories in certain areas, but the front remains largely unmoved after several months.
Aerial combat, particularly with drones and artillery, has lately become the dominant means of engagement as winter conditions made troop movements difficult.