The Russian Ministry of Defense informed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine, using RM-70 “Vampire” missile launchers, conducted a missile strike in the Belgorod region.
“Fourteen missiles were destroyed by anti-aircraft defenses on duty,” the ministry said, adding that the attack was carried out around 12:30 p.m.
One of the rockets that hit the city is said to have damaged the Prince Vladimir shopping center, while the other landed in the stadium of the 42nd school. In addition, debris from one of the rockets hit the Magnet store.
Russian news agency RIA initially reported that two people were killed.
Meanwhile, the Mash channel of messaging platform Telegram said at least nine people were killed. Two of them are children, one is a baby in a stroller. Another 16 people were injured, the administrators of the “Baza” channel specified.
Russia’s health ministry later said six people had died, including a child.
“A further 17 people, including four children, were variously injured,” it added.
The ministry noted that a shopping center was hit and blamed Ukraine for the airstrike.
Five apartment buildings and seven private houses were also damaged, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on the Telegram platform.
The children, who were in the 42nd school at the time of the attack, went down to the basement, where a shelter was set up.
The debris also reportedly damaged several cars, and the blast wave broke the windows of one apartment building, Zhest Belgorod channel reported.
Before the air attack, the governor of Belgorod issued a missile alert. He urged residents of Belgorod to take shelter in rooms with strong walls. Previously, a missile threat was declared in the city on February 7 (twice), 8 (twice) and 10 February.
Belgorod is regarding 30 km from the border and has been shelled repeatedly since the start of Russia’s invasion of the neighboring country.
In almost two years of conflict, 97 residents of the city have been killed, according to the local publication Lantern.
The most victims were claimed on December 30. Shelling of Belgorod. Then 25 people died and more than 100 were injured.
#rocket #attack #Russian #city #Belgorod #destroyed #shops #killed #people
2024-05-09 14:02:51
