A series of “strong explosions” has killed at least three people in the Russian city of Belgorod, said Sunday, July 3 the governor of this border region of Ukraine and already hit previously by shootings. On Telegram, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the explosions took place very early on Sunday and that eleven residential buildings and 39 houses were damaged. “The circumstances of the incident are being established, obviously the anti-aircraft defenses have been activated”he said, without further details. He did not explicitly accuse Ukraine of carrying out strikes. Follow our live.
Heavy fighting in Lysytchansk. This major city in eastern Ukraine is at the heart of the battle for control of Donbass. “The fighting is raging. Fortunately, the city is not surrounded and is under the control of the Ukrainian army”, assured Saturday during the day the spokesman of the National Guard of Ukraine. Earlier, Moscow-backed separatists claimed that Lysychansk was “totally surrounded”.
Belarus threatens. the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Saturday that his army had shot down missiles fired from Ukraine at his country, amid speculation of a growing involvement of Minsk in the conflict between kyiv and Moscow. “We are provoked”he launched, threatening to retaliate “instantly” to any strike towards Belarus.
Sloviansk and Kharkiv still under pressure. In eastern Ukraine, At least four civilians have been killed and 12 injured in Sloviansk since Friday morning, according to Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. In Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, “the morning […] was particularly agitated”for his part declared the regional governor Oleg Singoubov, according to whom missiles hit a district of the city without causing casualties.