Moscow: Tragedy struck the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday as an apartment block partially collapsed, resulting in at least eight fatalities and leaving 20 others injured. Officials attributed the destruction of the building to shelling originating from Ukraine.
Online footage captured the harrowing scene as rescuers navigated through the remnants of the building’s stairwell, only to retreat hastily as sections of the roof crashed down. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry confirmed the recovery of eight bodies from the rubble.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, the nation’s top law enforcement agency, issued a statement asserting that the 10-story building had been struck by Ukrainian shelling.
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Subsequently, the Russian Defense Ministry took to social media, attributing the building’s damage to fragments of a downed Tochka-U TRC missile. Additionally, it reported the successful interception of several rockets over the Belgorod region, along with the destruction of two drones in a separate incident later on Sunday.
Air raid alerts persisted across Belgorod as rescue operations unfolded. The city had also faced shelling the previous evening, resulting in one fatality and 29 injuries, according to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
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Western Russian cities have been subjected to recurrent drone attacks since May 2023, with Russian authorities pointing fingers at Kyiv. However, Ukrainian officials have consistently denied responsibility for attacks on Russian territory or the Crimean Peninsula.
The Belgorod region, situated on Russia’s western border, has borne the brunt of numerous strikes. While most cross-border shelling targets rural areas, the region’s capital has not been spared. In a tragic incident in December 2023, shelling in the heart of Belgorod city claimed the lives of 25 individuals, prompting authorities to initiate the construction of public shelters.
