Ukraine launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on occupied Crimea and Russia on Wednesday amid intensifying aerial assaults in the war.
Russian officials said the projectiles were intercepted, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The retaliatory attacks came a day after several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv and north-eastern Kharkiv, were pounded by a Russian missile and drone barrage.
Russian air defences destroyed 12 Ukrainian missiles fired at the city of Belgorod, some 20 miles from Ukraine’s north-eastern border, local officials said on Wednesday morning.
“The situation in Belgorod continues to be tense. There were two attacks in the morning,” said Vyacheslav Gladkov, the region’s governor.
He added Ukraine had also launched several drones targeting the city, where Russia says 25 civilians including five children were killed in Ukrainian attacks on Saturday, and the wider region.
Ukrainian forces were said to have been targeting an ammunition bunker just south of Belgorod, which was also attacked by Kyiv’s troops on Tuesday.
Smoke and explosions
Footage shared on social media purportedly showed a plume of smoke rising into the sky on the outskirts of the city, with explosions heard in the clip.
Another aerial attack damaged infrastructure and caused power cuts in the Kursk region, to the north of Belgorod, its governor Roman Starovoyt said on Telegram.
Meanwhile, in occupied Crimea, local authorities said a Ukrainian missile was downed over the port city of Sevastopol.
The missile was reportedly aimed at Belbek air base, from which Russia has frequently launched jets used to conduct bombing raids in Ukraine.
Residents of the nearby villages of Fructovoye and Verkhnesadovoye reported hearing loud explosions before witnessing a bright flash of light in the area near the base.
A plume of smoke was also spotted following the explosion.
Ukraine has vowed to target aircraft and vessels that are positioned deep behind enemy lines that are used to bombard the country in long-range strikes.
Kyiv is yet to comment on Wednesday’s attacks.
They came after Russia launched a series of major drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent days, marking some of the most intense strikes since the war began and prompting Kyiv to intensify its calls for more weapons and ammunition from the West.
The strikes reportedly killed more than 50 people and wounded approximately a further 330.
Kyiv said on Tuesday that Russia had launched more than 300 attack drones and missiles of various kinds at cities across Ukraine since Friday.
