Got 5 minutes?We would love to hear from you

Take our survey
News Feed

Russia claims it shot down ballistic missile over Belgorod Oblast

1 min read
Russia claims it shot down ballistic missile over Belgorod Oblast
Soviet made tactical ballistic missile complexes Tochka (Point) during a military parade in Kyiv on Aug. 24, 2016 to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day. (Archive photo) (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defense working in Russia's western Belgorod Oblast shot down a Tochka-U ballistic missile in the early morning of Dec. 12.

It said that the missile was destroyed, but did not comment on if it or subsequent debris caused any damage.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, said that air defense had shot down a "target" near the village of Bessonovka, about 30 kilometers from the city of Belgorod and close to 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Kyiv did not comment on the claim, and it cannot be independently verified.

Drones and missiles have targeted Russian territory intermittently since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Ukraine usually does not comment on the strikes, which have reached as far as Moscow.

Avatar
Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Read more
News Feed

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions and urged residents to take shelter as Russia launched groups of drones at the capital late in the evening of May 2.

 (Updated:  )

Russian forces launched overnight drone attacks targeting critical and energy infrastructure across several Ukrainian regions early on May 2, with strikes reported in Mykolaiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa Oblasts, according to regional authorities and local reports.

Show More