Collapse of Russian high-rise: fatalities and injuries ensue.
Was it Ukrainian shelling or something else? In Belgorod, a residential building partially collapsed, killing at least seven people and wounding 15 others. Meanwhile, in the Volgograd region, an oil refinery was on fire.
Russian authorities reported that a multi-storey building in the city of Belgorod experienced a partial collapse, burying victims beneath it. The governor of Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, blamed Ukraine for the incident. "The city and the oblast were subjected to massive shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces," he said. "A direct hit from a shell into an apartment building caused the entire entrance area to collapse from the tenth to the second floor." However, Ukraine has not yet issued a statement on the matter.
One unnamed witness described the situation, "An entire section of a ten-story building collapsed." Emergency responders arrived at the scene, with ambulances and fire engines on duty. "I see several victims. Firefighters are searching through the rubble." Pictures were shared on social media depicting a completely destroyed building, its entire apartment block ripped out.
Belarusian portal Nexta reported, quoting the Ukrainian Center for the Prevention of Disinformation, who believe the collapse could have been caused by alternative factors. "The video from the cameras does not show any falling objects. It looks more like a Russian provocation to justify further attacks on residential buildings in Ukrainian cities," they stated. Though it's undeniable Russia has already shelled Ukrainian civilian infrastructure without any justification.
Earlier, a missile alert had been triggered in the region bordering Ukraine, where Russia has been repeatedly targeted due to their war of aggression against Ukraine. The impact of the civil war in Ukraine impacts these border regions. However, the death toll and damage are significantly less than in Ukraine. Kiev primarily targets the army or energy supply.
Also reported were multiple occasions of Russian bombers in the area mistakenly releasing ammunition on civilian infrastructure. For instance, a Russian aircraft accidentally dropped munitions on civilian developments at the beginning of May. Gladkov confirmed the explosion and damage in Belgorod at the time but refused to say what caused the incident.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, this is not an isolated incident. A FAB-250 bomb had previously fallen in the Belgorod region in mid-February, leaving 150 residents evacuated. There were 20 cases of misfired ammunition between March and April this year alone. "These incidents demonstrate that Russia is still unable to effectively utilize its ammunition on the intended targets. Errors of this nature can be fatal for the Russian population," a report from London stated.
An oil refinery in southwestern Russia was on fire, allegedly as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack. Regional governor Andrey Bocharov made the announcement via Telegram: "On the night of May 12, the air defense forces and electronic warfare forces repelled a drone over the territory of the Volgograd region. The crash of the drone and subsequent explosion led to a fire on the premises of the oil refinery in Volgograd." There were no casualties. The refinery, run by the Russian oil company Lukoil, was hit by a drone fire in February resulting in no casualties either.
Ukraine has increased their drone attacks as they lack both military equipment and manpower. The Ukrainian army sees these attacks on Russian energy infrastructure as a response to Russian attacks on civilians.
In the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, more than 4,000 people were evacuated after a Russian advance. "A total of 4073 people were evacuated," regional governor Oleh Synegubov reported online. He also disclosed that on Sunday, a 63-year-old man had been killed by artillery fire in the village of Hlyboke and a 38-year-old man was injured in Vovchansk.
On Saturday, Russia's Ministry of Defense reported taking over five villages in the region. Russia has attempted to conquer the Kharkiv border region since the beginning of their 2022 invasion; yet, in the Fall of 2022, their army retreated. Now, as with other fronts, the Russian military is seizing the first move since Ukraine's unsuccessful counter-offensive in 2023.
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Despite the ongoing war and conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine has not officially acknowledged responsibility for the partial collapse of a building in Belgorod, resulting in fatalities and injuries. Human rights organizations have expressed concern about the escalating attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in both countries.
Source: www.ntv.de
