A woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike in the southwestern city of Belgorod, regional officials said on Friday, after the Russian Defense Ministry reported downing hundreds of drones across the country overnight.
Belgorod region Governor Vyachelsav Gladkov confirmed the woman’s death but did not provide further details. Local Telegram news channels shared photos of police cordoning off a bus stop and covering a body with aluminum foil.
Around an hour later, Gladkov said a civilian was injured in a separate strike on the nearby village of Krasny Oktyabr, located 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 10 Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region between 8 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. Friday, though it did not say whether any reached their targets.
The military said it intercepted 221 Ukrainian drones across Russia overnight. More than half were reportedly downed in the Bryansk and Smolensk regions, which border Belarus and where joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises are underway.
In Smolensk, a drone targeted a nuclear power plant around 4 a.m. local time, according to the state nuclear agency Rosatom. Air defense systems were said to have destroyed the drone near the facility.
Rosatom said the power plant remains operational and there was no change in radiation levels.
In the northwestern Leningrad region, 28 drones were shot down, according to local officials. A fire broke out on a vessel in the coastal town of Primorsk, but Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said the blaze was quickly put out.
Primorsk, located on the Gulf of Finland, is Russia’s largest oil-loading port, handling about 72 million tons of crude annually.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
