Ukrainian attacks kill four in Belgorod, southern Russia

Ukrainian attacks on Saturday killed four residents in southern Russia's Belgorod region, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Gladkov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said three people were killed in the village of Oktyabrsky in a multiple rocket attack. One man died after being taken to a hospital.

Twelve people were injured after two shelling incidents, he said, including a child.

In the village of Dubovoye, an attack killed a woman working in her garden.

He said the town of Shebekino, adjacent to the Ukrainian border, later came under shelling, with several homes suffering damage to their windows and roofs.

Gladkov later said air defense units had intercepted and destroyed 29 airborne targets.

Russia's Defense Ministry also said that air defense units had intercepted and destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the adjacent Kursk region.

Reuters could not independently confirm battlefield accounts.

Ukraine rarely comments on the frequent attacks on southern Russian regions just across its border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that an incursion of Russian troops into Kharkiv region was aimed at creating a "buffer zone" to prevent cross-border attacks into Belgorod and other regions.

Reuters