At least two people were killed and 19 others were injured in the southwestern Belgorod region over Russia’s extended holiday weekend, local authorities said Tuesday, a day after the country celebrates International Women’s Day.
Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced the deaths in a message on Telegram but did not specify how the two people were killed. His message suggested they may have died in a Ukrainian drone attack.
On Sunday, Gladkov said a civilian was hospitalized in critical condition after a Ukrainian drone exploded near his car on a highway that connects the regional capital of Belgorod to the town of Shebenko.
That same evening, the governor said a motorist was critically injured in a Ukrainian drone strike in Shebekino.
Between Saturday and Monday, air defense forces intercepted 115 Ukrainian drones, Gladkov said. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported downing 30 more in the Belgorod region over the same period.
Both Ukraine and Russia regularly launch drone and missile attacks at each other’s territory, with officials in Kyiv justifying their strikes as retaliation for Russia’s full-scale invasion and ongoing occupation of Ukrainian territory.
In a message congratulating women healthcare workers, Governor Gladkov noted that nearly 2,900 residents of the Belgorod region’s border areas had been injured in Ukrainian attacks in 2025.
Gladkov later said 53,065 homes were damaged in the Belgorod region since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 47,660 of which have been repaired.
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