News Feed

Russian governor: 12 drones downed over Belgorod

1 min read

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, claimed on Aug. 20 that Russian air defense had downed 12 drones approaching the regional capital.

Neither Gladkov nor Russian emergency services have reported on the casualties or the damage.

Meanwhile, the reported number of drones contradicts the Russian Defense Ministry's claim that air defense shot down three Ukrainian loitering munitions over the Belgorod region in an alleged two-wave attack on Aug. 20.

The Kyiv Independent couldn’t verify the claims.

The city of Belgorod is located less than 35 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

Earlier that day, Roman Starovoit, governor of Russia's Kursk region, claimed a Ukrainian drone had struck a Kursk railway station overnight on Aug. 20, injuring five people and causing a fire on its rooftop.

A video uploaded to a Russian Telegram channel shows a fire on the station's rooftop and emergency vehicles.

The Kursk region also borders Ukraine. Meanwhile, across the border in Sumy Oblast, Ukrainian settlements endure daily attacks from Russian forces.

Avatar
Alexander Khrebet

Reporter

Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.

Read more
News Feed
Show More