Two people died this Friday in the Russian oblast of Belgorod as a result of a bombardment carried out from Ukraine, denounced the regional governor, Viacheslav Gladkov. In addition, two long-range drones hit two targets in the Smolensk Oblast, a region that does not border Ukraine, at dawn. The drones attacked a refinery and electrical installations.
Ukrainian artillery hit a stretch of road in the village of Maslova Pristan, in the Shebekino district of Belgorod, Gladkov said. The shrapnel hit several vehicles, in one of which were two women who were killed. In the other car, two men were injured and hospitalized.
Ukraine is responding to Russian attacks on Kyiv and other regions with its drones. Its drones are reaching various Russian regions, and not just the border ones. In addition, these attacks are more frequent and achieve more and more depth.
This Tuesday, Ukraine surprised by sending a rain of drones over Moscow, an action that only caused minor damage to residential buildings but very symbolic when it comes to the Russian capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of attacking the civilian population “in order to intimidate them”.
The Kyiv authorities never claim responsibility for the attacks on Russian territory, although they do not miss the opportunity to show their satisfaction. Moscow accuses Ukraine of carrying out “terrorist attacks”.
The attacks against the Smolensk province hit the towns of Divasà and Peresna, close to the regional capital, which is 270 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. There were no injuries, and the drones did not cause any fires at the facility either, said Vasili Anojin, acting regional governor.
This incident occurred one day after a Ukrainian bombardment against Shebékino, in the Belgorod oblast, which forced the evacuation of dozens of residents of that city.
The governor of Belgorod, Viacheslav Gladkov, said this Friday that in the morning the Shebékino district received another shelling. More than 2,500 people are being evacuated from that area, he said.
Ukrainian artillery has regularly hit this region since Putin ordered the Russian Armed Forces to break into Ukrainian territory 15 months ago.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Ukrainian troops had tried to “invade” Russian territory through the Belgorod region and that its forces had repelled three attacks in that area, eliminating 30 enemies.
Ukraine denies that its military is involved in such incursions and claims that they are carried out by Russian volunteer fighters.
In recent months, moreover, these attacks have intensified. A week ago there was a raid by armed men who claimed responsibility for two groups of Russian volunteers who are fighting against Putin alongside the Ukrainian Army, the Russian Freedom Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps. They were in Russian territory for almost two days, until the Russian Army managed to expel them.
The Ukrainian drones also arrived early this Friday in the Russian region of Kaluga, which also does not border Ukraine. The object fell into the forest of the Kirov district and caused an explosion, the governor of that province, Vladislav Shapshá, reported by Telegram. There were no injuries.
Smolensk and Kaluga Oblasts border the Moscow Oblast.
On the other hand, on the night from Thursday to Friday, an unmanned plane dropped a bomb against an electrical substation in the town of Gogolevka, in the Kursk oblast, which does border Ukraine.
The explosion left local residents without electricity, but there were no casualties. The Kursk regional chief, Román Starovoit, assured that the anti-aircraft defenses shot down several drones near the capital of that region.
In Briansk Oblast, its governor, Alexander Bogomaz, denounced artillery attacks against two towns near the border between the two countries, Lomakovka and Nóvaya Pogosch.
