Register Sign In

Russia blames Ukraine as

Belgorod apartments
collapse after blast
1 hour ago Share
By Lou Newton,BBC News

Watch: Russian apartments collapse after explosion

Russia is blaming a Ukrainian strike after an entire
section of an apartment building collapsed following an
explosion in Belgorod.
CCTV from the scene shows a large blast near the base of
the 10-storey block and then the building falling in.
The regional governor said two bodies had been pulled
from the rubble. At least 19 people have been injured.
The Russian city is near the border with Kharkiv in
Ukraine, where Moscow's troops launched an offensive
on Friday.
The Belgorod region has often been targeted by
Ukrainian forces since the start of Russia's full-scale
invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but previously Ukrainian
officials have said cross-border strikes do not target
civilians.
'He could not escape'
The regional governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov,
accused Ukraine of bombarding the region, describing
the cause of the explosion as a Ukrainian shell.

Kyiv has cast doubt on that account, with one official

suggesting it may have been a guided bomb dropped by a
Russian plane, intended for Ukraine, but whose glide
wings hadn't opened.
Pictures from the scene show rescuers removing debris
by hand in a search for survivors. Surrounding
apartments have been evacuated due to fears of the
main building collapsing further.
Mr Gladkov added that people are believed to be trapped
in the rubble.
 Reuters

Reuters

One resident told Russian state news agency RIA

Novosti her husband was in their bedroom in the
building when the blast went off and was injured in the
head and face. "He did not have the time" to escape, she
said.
A spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee
said a criminal case has been launched.
 The incident comes as "intense battles" continue just
across the border in north-eastern Ukraine, where
Russian forces have made incursions into the Kharkiv
region.
In his evening address on Sunday, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian offensive has
displaced thousands.
"The idea behind the attacks in the Kharkiv region is to
stretch our forces and undermine the morale and
motivation of the Ukrainians' ability to defend
themselves," he added.
The defence ministry in Moscow claims its forces have
captured a number of villages there, while Kyiv says it
has been carrying out counter-attacks.

Hundreds flee Ukraine border area after Russia attack

Weary troops stuck on front line as Ukraine struggles to
find manpower

Europe War in Ukraine Russia Vladimir Putin Ukraine

Related

Russian Ukraine says it Zelensky fires

apartments repelled Russian head of bodyguard
collapse after bid to cross border after failed plot
explosion 2 days ago Europe 2 days ago Europe
4 hrs ago Europe

More
4 hrs ago
The Russians simply
walked in, Ukrainian
troops in Kharkiv tell
BBC
The BBC's Jonathan Beale meets
front-line soldiers battling Russia's new incursion in north-east
Ukraine.

4 hrs ago Europe

23 hrs ago
Thousands march in
Georgia over foreign
influence bill
Opponents fear the government's
bill will silence critics ahead of
parliamentary elections later this year.

23 hrs ago Europe

1 day ago
Hundreds flee
Ukraine border area
after Russia attack
Evacuations are under way in the
Kharkiv area as fighting continues
after Friday's surprise incursions.

1 day ago Europe

2 days ago
Seven dead after bus
falls into river in St
Petersburg
The accident took place on the
Potseluev Bridge in the historic
centre.
 2 days ago Europe
3 days ago
Taylor Greene
defiant after failing
to oust Speaker
The House killed the far-right
Republican's motion to remove Mike
Johnson over support for Ukraine aid.

3 days ago US & Canada