Ukraine air attacks kill two in southern Russia as Rostov-on-Don and Belgorod are hit
Ukrainian air attacks have killed two people and wounded 17 others in southern Russia, according to regional authorities. The strikes hit the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Belgorod, both close to the border with Ukraine. Officials said the attacks caused fires, damaged buildings and left some residents needing urgent medical care.
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In Rostov-on-Don, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said a couple from the same family was killed and five other people were wounded, including two who were in critical condition. He said falling drone debris caused fires at several locations, including warehouses, and blew out windows in a residential apartment block. In Belgorod, regional authorities said a drone attack wounded 12 people, including two children, and sparked a fire in a residential building.
The reported casualties in Russia came alongside fresh claims of deaths and injuries in Ukraine. Local authorities there said Russian strikes killed one person and wounded seven others, including in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia and the northern Sumy region. In Zaporizhzhia, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said a guided aerial bomb and drone attack killed one person and wounded two, while in Sumy a guided aerial bomb wounded five people.
The latest attacks add to the long-running pattern of reciprocal cross-border strikes that has become a defining feature of the war. Rostov-on-Don is a major export hub near the Sea of Azov, and Belgorod has repeatedly been exposed to attacks because of its proximity to the border. The damage reported in both cities shows how the conflict continues to affect civilian areas well beyond the front line.
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The strikes also underline the continuing use of drones, guided bombs and other long-range weapons in the war launched by Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Both sides deny targeting civilians, but repeated attacks have left homes, warehouses and other civilian sites vulnerable to damage. The reports from southern Russia and Ukraine suggest that the exchange of fire remains active across several regions at once.
What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage in each location and whether the casualty figures will change as emergency work continues. It is also not yet clear how many drones or bombs were intercepted, or how many reached their intended targets. Further official updates are likely to focus on casualty verification, damage assessments and any response from both sides.
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