Russian authorities claimed that Belgorod and the surrounding region came under a Ukrainian rocket attack on the morning of March 21, allegedly injuring five people.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims of Russian authorities, and Ukraine does not usually comment on alleged attacks on Russian soil.
The announcement comes the same morning as Russia launched a large-scale missile attack against Kyiv, injuring over a dozen civilians, including a child.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces downed 10 projectiles launched from the RM-70 Vampire rocket launcher against Belgorod Oblast at around 8 a.m. local time. Regional authorities announced an air raid alert in the area around the same time.
The victims allegedly included two women and three men, all of whom have been hospitalized, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
More than 30 apartments in six residential buildings were damaged in Belgorod, as well as a sports arena, an educational institution, 10 cars, and power lines, leaving 5,000 residents temporarily without electricity, the governor claimed.
Damaged houses and cars were also reported elsewhere in Belgorod Oblast, namely in the villages of Dubovoye, Novaya Derevnya, and Maysky, according to Russian authorities.
Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine's Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Sumy oblasts. Claims of rocket or drone attacks against the region have recently become a daily occurrence amid anti-Kremlin Russian militias' incursions into the border areas.
Martin Fornusek
