Russia accused Kyiv on Sunday of firing three missiles at the city of Belgorod near the Ukraine border in strikes that killed at least three people.
“Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down three Tochka-U cluster missiles launched by Ukrainian nationalists against Belgorod,” said Russia’s defense ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, adding that “after the destruction of the Ukrainian missiles, the debris of one of them fell on a house.”
At least three people were killed and four injured, according to the governor of the region.
“We are currently trying to establish the circumstances of the incident. The anti-aircraft defenses were in operation,” Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.
Eleven residential buildings and 39 houses were damaged in the explosions which occurred in the early hours, he said, but stopped short of accusing Ukrainian forces of being behind the strikes.
Gladkov said he visited the site very soon after the explosions, which hit five streets to the north of the city center.
Two of the injured – a man and a child – were hospitalized, while the other two were treated at the scene, he said.
Since Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Russia has repeatedly accused Kyiv of conducting strikes on Russian soil, particularly in the Belgorod region. AFP
At the beginning of April, Gladkov accused Ukraine of attacking a fuel depot in the city with two helicopters.