The Russian city of Belgorod, which lies some 40 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, has been reportedly hit by an aerial attack.
State-owned media reported that a shopping centre had been struck in the southwest of the city.
According to the governor of the Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, five people have been killed, among them a child, and 18 injured.
The governor of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, reported that a school stadium had also been hit.
“There are many casualties: dead and wounded,” he said on Telegram.
Videos posted on social media showed shops shattered and surrounded by debris, with the sound of sirens in the background.
The line of fire
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, air defence systems destroyed 14 rockets over the wider Belgorod region on Thursday. The ministry claimed that Ukraine had launched them from an RM-70 Vampire multiple-launch rocket system around midday local time.
Belgorod has been the target of multiple air attacks as the Ukrainian military tries to make the war as visible and tangible as possible within Russia itself.
In December, 25 people were killed in a deadly drone and rocket attack on the city, promting hundreds of civilians to evacuate.
Recent events on the ground in Ukraine have seen the war grind to something of a stalemate. Both sides have claimed advances or victories in certain areas, but the front remains largely unmoved after several months.
Aerial combat, particularly with drones and artillery, has lately become the dominant means of engagement as winter conditions made troop movements difficult.
