Two dead in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian b…

Ukrainian strikes against the Belgorod Region have left seven people injured, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said

Two people have been killed in a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian Belgorod border region, its governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on Telegram on Friday. Kiev’s forces have attacked about a dozen of settlements in the region, according to the governor’s data.

One such attack killed a civilian and severely injured another one in a small village located around 18 kilometers away from Russia’s border with Ukraine, Gladkov said. Two other attacks on other settlements also left one civilian injured each, he added.

Closer to the evening, a Ukrainian UAV struck a vehicle, killing a staff member of a local security company providing property protection services, according to the governor. Four of his colleagues, who were nearby at the moment of the attack also sustained injuries and were hospitalized, Gladkov said.

Around half a dozen of other drone strikes launched by Kiev’s forces on Friday resulted in property damaged. According to the data provided by the local authorities, the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure, private houses and commercial structures as well as vehicles.

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The Belgorod Region has suffered from regular attacks launched by Kiev’s forces amid the wider conflict between the two nations. In May 2024, Russia launched an incursion into neighboring Kharkov Region, which it said was meant to make it harder for Ukraine to attack nearby Belgorod Region with shorter-range weapons. Kiev’s forces have still been regularly launching drone strikes targeting the Russian region.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian military also launched multiple cross-border attacks on the Belgorod Region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The ministry linked the operation, which involved 200 soldiers and 29 pieces of military hardware, including five tanks, to a phone call between President Donald Trump and his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that took place on Tuesday.

All the attacks were repelled, with the invading force losing up to 60 servicemen, at least one tank, the Russian military said.

The latest Ukrainian assaults come amid negotiations for a partial ceasefire aimed at suspending long-range strikes on energy infrastructure by both sides. Advocated by US President Donald Trump, the measure seeks to facilitate peace talks and establish a comprehensive truce.