Star Metro - Ukrainian attack kills six in Russia's Belgorod, officials say

Belgorod, which lies about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Ukraine, has been repeatedly targeted by what Moscow says is indiscriminate cross-border shelling.

Videos shared on social media showed a shattered storefront surrounded by debris, while a woman can be heard weeping in distress. One video showed a body covered with a blanket nearby.

Six people, including one child, were killed in the attack, Russia's health ministry said.

"Another 17 people, including four children, were injured of varying severity," it added.

It said a shopping centre had been hit, and blamed Ukraine.

Five apartment buildings and seven houses were also damaged, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a post on his Telegram channel.

The defence ministry said it had shot down 14 Ukrainian rockets over the region, which it said had been fired by an RM-70 multiple rocket launcher system.

Russian officials did not say whether Ukrainian rockets hit the buildings directly or if the damage was caused by falling debris after being intercepted by air defences.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv.

Valentina, a vendor at a nearby store, told the RIA news agency she was weighing cheese when she heard "booms", and told her customers to take cover.

"They crouched down. I said run away. We ran. But where to run to, it's a building. We sat down in the corner," she added.

Authorities began evacuating some residents from the city last month after officials said a Ukrainian attack in late December had killed 25 people.

Hundreds of people including around 400 children have already left, in Russia's biggest evacuation since it launched full-scale hostilities against Ukraine in February 2022.

S.Cloutier--SMC