Moscow, Russia

At least seven people have been killed and 20 others have been injured after a Soviet-era missile launched by Ukraine and shot down by Russia hit a section of a Russian apartment block in the border region of Belgorod, reported news agencies Reuters and AFP citing local officials, on Sunday (May 12). 

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Deadly attack on Belgorod

In what is being called one of the deadliest attacks so far in the border region of Belgorod, Russian officials claimed Ukraine launched a massive missile attack with Soviet-era Tochka ballistic missiles and Adler and RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket systems.

WATCH | Fighting rages north east of Kharkiv

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A report by Russian news agency TASS citing emergency services said that at least 20 people have been injured. Earlier, the Russian health minister had said 17 were injured, reported AFP. 

The Russian defence ministry said that the Ukrainian missile hit a “residential district” in Belgorod after it was intercepted by air defences. The attack, according to the ministry, took place at 08:40 GMT and involved at least 12 missiles.

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Both Moscow and Kyiv have denied that they target civilians, but the United Nations agency OHCHR, earlier this year, reported a total of 30,457 civilian casualties since the beginning of the war. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as per Reuters, said that the strike was a targeted attack on civilians which showed the criminality of both Ukraine and its allies in Europe and the United States. 

Russia claims to have captured four more villages

On Sunday, Russia claimed that it captured four more villages – Hatyshche, Krasne, Morokhovets, Oliinykove – in the Kharkiv region in Ukraine.

Also Read | Ukraine war: Over 4,000 evacuated from Kharkiv after Russia claimed to capture five villages

Meanwhile, Kharkiv Governor Oleg Synegubov took to social media and said the entire  northern border of the Ukrainian region is under Russian fire "almost around the clock". 

This comes a day after the Russian defence ministry said that its troops “liberated” five villages – Borisivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha – in the Kharkiv region near the border with Russia “as a result of offensive actions”.

Moscow also claimed that the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region was also now under Russian control.

Russia launched an armoured incursion early on Friday (May 10), an attack on a new front which may lead to a broader push into the Kharkiv region. 

Is Russia accidentally bombing its own cities?

In an update on the ongoing war, on Saturday (May 11), the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) highlighted what it called Russia’s “continued inability to successfully employ their munitions on intended targets.”

It added, “Such errors have destructive and lethal consequences for the Russian population.” Between March and April, Russia accidentally dropped around 20 munitions in Belgorod alone. 

Also Read | At least five killed in Ukrainian strikes on border regions, Donetsk: Russian officials

According to the report, a Russian fighter jet accidentally dropped a FAB-500 bomb on the border city. At least five people were left injured and around 30 houses were damaged as a result. 

“This is not an isolated incident. On February 18, a FAB-250 was reportedly released on Soloti in the Belgorod area which led to the evacuation of 150 residents,” said the MoD. 

A similar incident took place in January after what the Russian defence ministry had described at the time as an “abnormal discharge of aircraft ammunition” over the village of Petropavlovka in the southern region of Voronezh. The incident left four people injured and damaged some nine houses. 

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.