Three people killed in Ukrainian strike on apartment block

A residential building in Russia’s Shebekino has partially collapsed after the attack

At least three civilians were killed when Ukrainian troops struck a five-story apartment block in the city of Shebekino in Russia’s western Belgorod Region, emergency services said in the early hours of Saturday. The death toll could rise as first responders continue clearing the rubble and looking for survivors. 

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said earlier that seven residents have been hospitalized. The residential building partially collapsed following Friday’s strike. 

Shebekino is located near the border with Ukraine. It has become a frequent target of rocket and drone attacks since February 2022, when Russia launched its military operation in the neighboring state.

Also on Friday, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit a car in the village of Murom, near Shebekino, killing the driver, Gladkov wrote on Telegram. On the same day, a woman was killed when a rocket struck her home in the village of Oktyabrsky, while another person was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds after the village on Arkhangelskoye was shelled.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of indiscriminately firing at cities and deliberately targeting civilians, including with Western-supplied ammunition.