Ukrainian drones reportedly strike neighboring Belgorod, cities across southern Russia
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Ukrainian drones struck neighboring Belgorod and cities in southern Russia overnight on July 27, monitoring channels and authorities reported.
In Belgorod, 12 people were injured, as a residential building and 15 parked cars were set ablaze, Belgorod Oblast's Operational Headquarters wrote in a Telegram post.
"In addition, a home was partially destroyed, and several multi-apartment buildings were damaged," the Headquarters added.
Belgorod Oblast is located along the Ukrainian-Russian border, with the city of Belgorod only approximately 27 kilometers (16 miles) from northeastern Ukraine.
In the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, explosions were heard later in the night, Telegram news channel Exilenova Plus reported.
The city's mayor, Alexander Skryabin, confirmed Ukrainian strikes, saying that a residential building was damaged as a result of a Ukrainian attack.
Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar reported that two people were killed and another five were injured in the city, adding that warehouses and several homes were set ablaze as a result of the strikes.
"In Rostov-on-Don, two people, a married couple, were killed. Five people were injured, two of them in serious condition, including a teenager," Slyusar said. "Windows have been broken in several homes, as well as on the upper floors of an apartment building and at a social facility."
Smoke was seen rising above Rostov-on-Don's shipping port, which is located near a damaged residential building, independent Russian news outlet Astra reported.
Explosions were also reported in the coastal city of Taganrog, located along Russia's Azov Sea coast, according to Telegram news channel Supernova Plus.
The reports could not be immediately verified by the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and the occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's ability to continue waging its war.
Strikes have intensified in recent weeks as Ukrainian drones and missiles hit infrastructure in Russia and the occupied territories day after day.
Overnight on July 26, Ukrainian forces struck a Chornomornaftogaz facility and relay equipment used to control Russian strike drones in Russian-occupied Crimea, as well as a bridge in occupied Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's General Staff reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on July 25 that Ukrainian forces had struck a logistics facility in Yekaterinburg and an oil refinery in Russia's Tyumen Oblast as part of a broader overnight campaign against targets that sustain Russia's ability to wage war.
Meanwhile, Russia regularly conducts fatal strikes on civilian infrastructure in cities across Ukraine as it continues to wage its war.
On July 26, Russian forces launched a drone attack at a busy supermarket in Chernihiv, killing two people, including a 9-year-old girl, and injuring 25 others, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported.
