Strikes by Ukrainian forces on the Russian city of Belgorod have left five dead and at least 46 injured.
Footage shows a series of rapid explosions from a ‘Vampire’ rocket launcher on the border region capital, which is increasingly being drawn into the war.
It comes as a Russian official admitted that some of Putin’s soldiers have carried out a ‘wave of looting’ of the homes of evacuated locals in the region.
The attack last night follows a Russian strike earlier in the day that hit a playground and apartment building in Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv.
The guided bomb killed seven and wounded at least 97. Among them was a 14-year-old girl and 18-year-old acclaimed artist Veronika ‘Nika’ Kozhushko.
The well-known Ukrainian writer, poet, musician and serviceman Serhiy Zhadan, who knew her, said: ‘Nika Kozhushko died – very young, sincere and gifted.
‘An hour before her death, she sent her new drawing. That is, her last drawing.
‘The Russians continue to destroy our future. There is no explanation for this. And there is no forgiveness either.’
It was unclear if the Ukrainian shelling yesterday was a direct reprisal strike for the Kharkiv strikes, but Kyiv has, in recent days, sought to make incursions inside Belgorod region, mirroring its tactics in Kursk region.
Russian sources accused Ukraine of targeting civilians with cluster munitions.
Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said: ‘Five civilians were killed.
‘My heartfelt condolences go to all relatives and close ones.
’46 civilians were injured. 37 are currently in hospitals, 7 of them children.’
Mr Gladkov said one child was in a severe condition and had undergone surgery.
He added: ‘The medics will now report on his current condition and on what needs to be done to save his health.
‘Two adult patients are being prepared for transportation to Moscow.’
He claimed the attacks shattered the roofs and windows in two apartment buildings, and damaged the glazing and facades of social facilities and commercial properties.
A fire ignited by the strike on the outskirts of the city was extinguished.
The attack also damaged 13 vehicles near a shopping centre in the village of Dubovoye, south of the city, and set two houses, a car and a garage on fire, he said.
Meanwhile, villages close to the Ukrainian border – which remain in Russian control – are being hit by looting by Vladimir Putin’s troops, said the head of Grayvoron urban district, Gennady Bondarev.
He complained of looting by soldiers in settlements Mokraya Orlovka, Kozinka, Glotovo and Gorkovsky.
Houses were being targeted, not by locals but the military, he said.
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