Ukrainian shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod has killed two people, officials say, while Russia claimed to have thwarted a new attempt by saboteurs to cross the border.
Saturday’s attacks occurred as Russians entered the second day of voting in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule by another six years.
A man and a woman died in the attack and three other people were wounded, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram app.
It was the latest in exchanges of long-range missile and rocket fire in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Five people were also wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the village of Glotovo, 2km from the Ukrainian border, Gladkov said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry also said on Saturday that it had thwarted attempts by “Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups” to enter the country from Ukraine’s Sumy region.
That followed an armed incursion claimed by Ukraine-based Russian opponents of the Kremlin on Tuesday in the Belgorod and Kursk regions.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said that the country’s military and security forces killed 30 fighters while thwarting the latest incursion.
The so-called Russian Volunteer Corps – one of the Ukraine-linked groups who said they had crossed the border on Tuesday and say they are “fighting for the freedom of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples” – released a video on social media on Saturday claiming to have captured 25 Russian soldiers.
Another of the groups, the Freedom of Russia Legion, warned of a “massive strike” on military bases in Belgorod on Saturday afternoon and urged residents to take shelter.
Shortly afterward, Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated air defences had shot down 15 rockets over the Belgorod region.
Videos appeared on local news sites, appearing to show smoke rising from buildings and falling shrapnel.
The authenticity of the videos could not be independently verified.
Cross-border attacks in the area have occurred sporadically since the war began and have been the subject of claims and counterclaims.
Also on Saturday, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery belonging to Russian oil giant Rosneft in the Samara region, 725km from the Ukrainian border, regional governor Dmitry Azarov said.
He said an attack on another refinery was thwarted.
No casualties were reported.
A Ukrainian drone also dropped an explosive close to a polling station in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, news agency Tass said.
No injuries or damage were reported.
The attacks come a day after a Russian assault on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa reportedly killed at least 21 people.
The ballistic missile attack blasted homes in the southern city on Friday, followed by a second missile that targeted first responders who arrived at the scene, officials said.
More than 50 people are still in the hospital following the attacks, Odesa deputy mayor Svitlana Bedreha said, according to Ukrainian state media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised a “just response” to the attack in a video address.
Source Agencies
