Losses Mount: Fatalities in Belgorod, Kharkiv Villages Captured

At least 15 fatalities and 20 injuries were reported after a residential building in Russia's Belgorod collapsed, with the cause still being unclear. Some reports suggest the incident occurred following Ukraine's firing and Russia's subsequent interception of a Soviet-era missile in the border region between the two countries. This attack marks one of the deadliest assaults on Russian territory since the onset of the war in Ukraine.

Images from the scene depicted significant destruction, with approximately 10 floors of the building destroyed and the roof collapsed as rescue operations commenced to locate survivors. Russia's defense ministry termed the incident a "terrorist attack on residential areas," attributing it to at least 12 rockets.

‼️ Apartment building in Belgorod could have been blown up from inside - OSINT analysts

As explained by OSINT analyst and military observer Tendar, the footage posted online does not show a falling missile, but only smoke and scattering debris.

"A residential building was blown… pic.twitter.com/wjWIq7a0MI

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 12, 2024

The Emergencies Ministry of Russia confirmed 15 fatalities, with reports indicating 20 injuries and the whereabouts of at least one child remaining unknown. President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack as "barbaric," with the Russian Foreign Ministry denouncing it as a criminal assault on civilians and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Russian forces announced the capture of four additional villages in Ukraine's northern Kharkiv region, intensifying their military operations in the area. This development comes after a week of heavy shelling in the northeastern region, culminating in Russian forces breaching the border and seizing control of nine villages.

The incursion into the Kharkiv region poses the risk of opening a new front and necessitating Ukraine's deployment of additional troops to counter Russian advances. Russian military tactics reportedly exploited numerical superiority to infiltrate relatively underdefended areas with mobile units, encircling Ukrainian positions.

Despite the challenging circumstances in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces are striving to maintain their defensive line. Putin had previously hinted at the possibility of establishing a buffer zone within Ukrainian territory in response to Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod earlier in March.