February 15, 2024
Updated 2 hours ago
Image source: Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov
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Thursday's airstrike broke the windows of a shopping center in Belgorod
Seven people – including a one-year-old girl – were killed in a Ukrainian airstrike on the Russian city of Belgorod, the region's head said.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said another 18 were injured in Thursday's attack near the Ukrainian border.
Videos circulated on social media showing several ambulances parked outside a heavily damaged shopping center with broken windows.
Russia said air defense systems shot down 14 Ukrainian missiles.
Russian television channel Zvezda, which has close ties to the Defense Ministry, said a missile hit a shopping center and another hit the city's sports stadium.
Belgorod is about 30 km (19 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
It has been frequently attacked by Ukrainian forces since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
A drone and missile attack in December killed 25 people and injured another 100 in the deadliest attack on Belgorod to date.
Last night Russia fired 26 rockets into Ukraine, killing a 66-year-old woman and wounding several other people in Chuhuyiv, near Kharkiv in the northeast.
Meanwhile, the battle for the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine is raging.
Some Ukrainian soldiers told the BBC that the city could fall at any moment, describing the severe shortage of weapons and ammunition.
NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg warned Thursday that the U.S. refusal to authorize continued military aid to Ukraine is already having an impact on the battlefield.
Avdiivka is an important location as it is a gateway to the Russian-captured city of Donetsk. It has been effectively at the forefront since 2014, when the conflict in eastern Ukraine began.