Russia says its border areas have been attacked; Moscow security forces attacked a hospital in a central Ukrainian city

The Belgorod region in southern Russia, which borders Ukraine, came under fire from Ukrainian artillery, mortars and drones on Friday, authorities said, hours after two drones struck a Russian city near the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Meanwhile, Moscow forces attacked a psychological and veterinary clinic in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing two people and injuring 30, including two children, Ukrainian officials said.

The video was posted by the governor. Sergei Lysak showed the fire engulfing a three-story building that appeared to be nearly destroyed, with only parts of the wall remaining as firefighters battled the blaze.

A Russian S-300 missile hit a dam in the Karlovsky district of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, threatening to flood nearby communities.

The city of Grayvoron in Russia’s Belgorod region, about 7 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, was shelled for several hours, damaging four houses, a shop, a car, a gas pipeline and a power line, the governor said. This was announced by Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Closer to the border in the village of Glotovo, a recreation center, a shop and an empty house were damaged. According to Gladkov, one woman was wounded as a result of shelling near Novaya Tavolzhanka.

Earlier this week, the Belgorod region became the target of one of the most serious cross-border attacks by Ukraine since the start of the war 15 months ago. The details of the raid were vague. Russia blamed the Ukrainian military, but two Russian groups said they were involved in the overthrow of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Officials in Russia’s southern city of Krasnodar, in the region of the same name that borders Crimea, said two drones were hit there. Eyewitnesses told local media that they heard what sounded like a moped and then two explosions.

Explosions pierced the roof of one house and shattered windows in an apartment building.

“We just went to bed, and then such a strong, terrible roar,” said Tatyana Safonova, a resident. “We ran outside. People were running, but nothing else happened.”

She had previously described the sound as “a snarling, noisy moped passing by”.

Krasnodar regional municipality. Veniamin Kondratiev wrote on Telegram that there were no casualties, several buildings were damaged, but the main infrastructure was not damaged.

Krasnodar Mayor Yevgeny Naumov said that a residential building and an office building were damaged.

Drone attacks on Russian border areas have become commonplace since the invasion began in February 2022, and the number of attacks has increased in the past month. Earlier this month, an oil refinery in Krasnodar was attacked by drones for two consecutive days.

At a meeting in Estonia, German and Baltic leaders downplayed fears that the fighting would spill over into Russia.

“Russia attacked Ukraine, so Ukraine can defend itself,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “It is clear that the weapons supplied by us will be used only on the territory of Ukraine.”

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas noted that “Ukraine has no desire to invade Russia,” while Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte added: “I am somewhat puzzled by Russia’s concern because Russia is at war – so it’s rather strange. think that the war can only be in that other territory that you have invaded.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on Thursday released a video showing a maritime drone heading towards the Russian reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs in the Black Sea. The video does not show how the drone crashes into the ship.

The video followed reports from the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday that Ukraine had unsuccessfully attacked the Ivan Khurs using three unmanned boats, and all three were destroyed before reaching the ship. Moscow released a video allegedly showing the destruction of one of the naval drones.

At least two civilians were killed and three were injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over the previous day, the Ukrainian president’s office said Friday.

In Moscow, China’s special envoy Li Hui met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and they exchanged “views on the situation around Ukraine and the prospects for resolving the conflict,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Lavrov cited “serious obstacles to the resumption of peace talks created by the Ukrainian side and its Western handlers,” the statement said, but did not disclose what Lee said or suggested.

Lee visited Kyiv earlier this month. Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government says it is neutral and wants to mediate the conflict, but politically backs Moscow. Beijing unveiled a proposed peace plan in February, but Ukraine’s allies largely dismissed it, insisting that Russian President Vladimir Putin must withdraw his troops first.

Contributions were made by Juras Karmanau from Tallinn, Estonia, and Elise Morton from London.