Dead and injured

Heavy attacks on the Russian city of Belgorod

Terrible scenes in the southern Russian city of Belgorod: missiles target the city, not all of them can be intercepted. Casualties have already been confirmed - including a small child. The Kremlin is furious and blames Ukraine for the bloodshed.

Belgorod is not far from the Ukrainian border and has a population of around 350,000. Many no longer feel safe here - since the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there have been repeated serious attacks.

This time the disaster happened in broad daylight. At around 12:30 local time on Thursday, missiles were fired over the area, according to the Russian defense system. Moscow suspects that Ukraine is behind the attacks.

Here, a projectile hits the shopping center:

Some projectiles could have been intercepted. Seven private houses and five apartment buildings were damaged by the attacks, commented the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, on the sad situation. A shopping center was also badly damaged.

Result: 5 dead, 18 injured
At least five people were killed in the attack, including a child, Gladkov made public. According to "Bel.ru", the child had probably just been taken for a walk by his mother in a pram. The woman also reportedly did not survive the shelling. According to reports, 18 people were injured, including five children.

It did not take long for the Kremlin to react strongly. The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, promised a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

Residents feel abandoned
The most violent attack on Belgorod to date occurred on December 30 last year. A massive Russian missile attack on Ukraine was followed by a massive shelling of the city. 25 people lost their lives and more than 100 people were injured. Time and again, critical voices can be heard from residents: They did not feel safe and the state was doing too little for the welfare of its citizens, according to the desperate messages.