Governor reports deaths after attack in Belgorod
Russia has once again accused Ukraine of shelling its border areas. Governor Gladkov announced that two women had been killed in the Belgorod region. Further nightly attacks by the Russian army were reported from Kiev.
According to the governor, two women were killed by shelling in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine. The two were in their car near the city of Shebekino when fragments from grenades hit their vehicle, wrote Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram. In addition, two other people were injured when an industrial plant caught fire. Gladkov blamed the Ukrainian army for the attacks. This cannot be independently verified.
Attacks with drones and explosions had been reported in the Kursk, Bryansk, Smolensk, and Kaluga regions earlier. A missile defense system had shot down the drones near Kursk, regional governor Roman Starovoyt said on Twitter. He urged residents to remain calm: “The city is under the reliable protection of our army,” wrote the governor. According to authorities, several buildings in Kursk were damaged.
Russian nationalists on the side of Ukraine
Ukraine denies attacking Russian territory. They stated that Russian volunteer corps were behind it. Two paramilitary Russian volunteer battalions, called “Russian Volunteer Corps” and “Legion of Freedom of Russia,” have repeatedly claimed responsibility for attacks. Although these groups are currently fighting on the side of Ukraine, they consist of Russian nationalists.
On Thursday, the Russian army claimed to have repelled a attempted “invasion” by Ukrainian units with the help of artillery and fighter jets. Faced with the increased attacks on the border region, residents fled the targeted areas and were housed in emergency shelters.
Attacks on Kiev continue
The wave of attacks continued in the Ukrainian capital Kiev at night. The Ukrainian Air Force announced that 15 rockets and 21 drones had been shot down. Apparently, no one was harmed in the city itself. However, falling debris injured two people outside of the city, local authorities said.
Since the beginning of May, there have been about 20 attacks on Kiev. The Ukrainian government believes that these are intended to disturb preparations for a large-scale counter-offensive.