Ikrainian strikes hit Russian border region, casualties reported

On Saturday, Ukrainians once again struck targets in the border-adjacent Russian Belgorod Oblast. The region's governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported four civilian casualties.

Three people were killed in the rocket-shelled village of Oktyabrskoye, and one person in the village of Dubovoye. Twelve others were injured.

Local defense forces destroyed 29 "Vampire" missiles and a "Neptune" rocket in the air. Among the affected was the city of Shebekino, located right at the border, where several residential houses were damaged due to Ukrainian rocket fire.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense units intercepted and destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the neighboring Kursk Oblast as well. However, as reported by Reuters, this information has not yet been confirmed by independent sources. The agency notes that Ukraine rarely comments on attacks on the southern border regions of Russia.

On Saturday, the Russians also attacked. The most tense situation was in Kharkiv. The Russians shelled a construction hypermarket there.

The attack was carried out using guided aerial bombs.

In response to the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that about 200 people could have been in the hypermarket at the time of the bombing. He added that if Ukrainian forces had sufficient air defense systems, such attacks would be impossible.

Russian sources maintain that the Russian military's offensive towards Kharkiv aims to create a "buffer zone" and prevent cross-border attacks on Belgorod and other Russian cities bordering Ukraine.