A Ukrainian drone attack killed a person in the southwestern Belgorod region, local authorities said Friday.
“A drone deliberately targeted a motorcycle in the village of Yasnye Zori. Tragically, the rider was killed instantly,” Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.
Yasnye Zori, a village of less than 2,000 people, is located roughly 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) from the border with eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defense systems intercepted 62 Ukrainian drones in annexed Crimea and Russia overnight, including in the Belgorod region.
The fatal strike comes as regional authorities increasingly urge civilians to avoid wearing military-style clothing or using vehicles with military insignia to reduce the risk of being targeted by Ukrainian drone operators.
At least 147 civilians were killed in the Belgorod region in 2025, according to estimates by local news outlet Fonar, bringing the total number of civilian deaths in the border region since the start of the war to 429 as of January 2026.
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.
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