Three people, including a toddler, were killed overnight after debris from a downed drone fell, destroying residential buildings in Russia’s Belgorod region, the local governor announced Thursday morning.
“The air defense system in the Belgorod district shot down an aircraft-type drone that was approaching the city,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram, adding in another message that “as a result of falling debris on the outskirts of Belgorod, two residential buildings were (completely) destroyed” and several others damaged.
“Three people died, one of them is a young child,” said the governor of this region bordering Ukraine.
Two other people, injured and in critical condition, were hospitalized, according to Mr. Gladkov. A man is in a coma while a woman in serious condition suffered a concussion, he said.
In images published online by the governor, we can see a pile of ruins where concrete blocks, the remains of a roof or even a mattress are found jumbled together.
Early Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry indicated on Telegram that Russian air defense had “foiled” a drone attack carried out by Kiev in the region on Wednesday around 11:50 p.m. local time (8:50 p.m. GMT), without communicating on possible injuries or damage.
Ukrainian attacks against Russian territory have increased in recent months, against the backdrop of a counter-offensive launched by Ukraine at the beginning of June.
On Tuesday, a Ukrainian shell strike killed two civilians, also in the Belgorod region, according to Mr. Gladkov.