Russia claims Belgorod hit by Ukrainian rocket attack
Russian authorities claimed that Belgorod and the surrounding region came under a Ukrainian rocket attack in the morning of April 6, allegedly inflicting damage but no casualties.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. Ukrainian officials usually do not comment on alleged attacks on Russian soil.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that its forces downed 10 projectiles launched from the RM-70 rocket launcher over Belgorod Oblast.
Despite the purported downing of the rockets on the approach toward Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported damage in the city and Belgorod Oblast as a result of the attack.
Some 12 apartment buildings were damaged, as well as a clinic, a sports complex, a commercial enterprise, and three cars, Gladkov alleged. The damages were mostly light, limited to windows and facades, according to his statement.
Damage to buildings was also allegedly reported in the surrounding villages of Belgorod Oblast, namely in Dubovoye, Maysky, Nikolskoye, and Tavrovo.
Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts. Claims of rocket or drone attacks against the region have recently become a common occurrence after anti-Kremlin Russian militias' incursions into the border areas.
Russia reportedly often uses Belgorod Oblast as a launching ground for cross-border missile strikes against Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said that three S-300 missiles were launched from the region against Ukraine overnight on April 6.
Ukrainian authorities reported that the overnight S-300 attacks against Kharkiv killed six people and injured 11 others.
