Ukraine attacks a shopping center in the Russian city of Belgorod with missiles: at least 5 dead

A rocket attack killed five people, including a minor, and wounded 18 in the Russian city of Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine, on Thursday, a Russian official said, in what appears to be the latest exchange of long-range missiles and projectiles between the two countries.

Hours before, Russia launched ballistic and cruise missiles at Ukraine, According to authorities, a midnight attack reached multiple regions after killing four people in an apartment building in the northeast of the country.

Five of the 18 injured in Belgorod were children, the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, explained on Telegram.

A shopping center and a school campus were hit in the attack on the city, said Roman Starovoit, governor of Russia’s neighboring Kursk region. “There are many victims: dead and injured,” he said on Telegram.

Anti-aircraft defense systems They destroyed 14 shells over the Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry explained, adding that Ukrainian forces fired at them from an RM-70 Vampire multiple rocket launcher around noon.

The city of Belgorod, which lies about 40 kilometers north of the Ukrainian border, has been a regular target of Ukrainian operations, keeping the population on the edge of their seats. Dozens of people were killed or injured in the attack over the New Year weekend in Russia.

In December, a drone and rocket attack killed 25 people and wounded 100 more in the deadliest attack ever on Belgorod.

These incidents have undermined President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reassure the population that life in the country continues as normal.

In Ukraine, five people were injured in a nighttime operation on the town of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv border region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Hours later, missiles were launched against the capital Kiev; among other places, the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and Lviv, in the west of the country. The Ukrainian Air Force said it intercepted 13 of 26 missiles fired over the entire country.

Long-range bombing of Russia has become a recurring tactic as the conflict, which approaches its second anniversary, has morphed into trench and artillery warfare, causing destruction but not altering the 1,500km-long front line ( 930 miles).

Thursday’s Russian offensive was notable for its geographic dispersion and the variety of missiles deployed by Kremlin forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says one of his priorities is to improve air defense systems. He will travel to France on Friday sign a bilateral security agreement as part of its efforts to ensure continued military support from the West.

The president’s office also announced that he will also travel to Berlin on Friday, where he will meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Additionally, he will speak at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, where he will have bilateral meetings with the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harrisand with other European leaders and business leaders.

Among the weapons used by Russia on Thursday were Iskander ballistic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles, aviation-guided missiles and adapted S-300 anti-aircraft missiles.

Ukraine also attacked targets on Russian territory beyond the front line. A Ukrainian drone caused a fire at an oil depot in Russia’s Kursk region, its governor, Roman Starovoit, said on Thursday. The accident caused no injuries, he added.

The Russian offensive came a day after the Ukrainian military said it was using cutting-edge maritime drones sink a Russian naval ship in the Black Seain what would be a major success for Kiev ten days before February 24, two years after the invasion began.

The Russian operation on Thursday morning injured four people in the Ukrainian province of Zaporizhzhia, where it hit public infrastructure, according to authorities. Explosions were also heard in Kiev.

In Lviv two schools, a nursery 18 residential buildings were damaged and three people were injured, Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said.