Russia says its border regions have been attacked; Moscow forces raided a clinic in central Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s southern region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, was attacked by Ukrainian artillery fire, mortar shells and drones on Friday, authorities said, hours after two drones struck a Russian town in the territory next to the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Meanwhile, Moscow forces struck a building containing psychological and veterinary clinics in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing two people and wounding 30 others, including two children, Ukrainian officials said.

A video released by regional governor Serhiy Lysak showed fire in the three-story building, which appeared almost destroyed, with only part of the wall standing as firefighters battled the flames.

A Russian S-300 missile hit a dam in the Karlivka district of Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine, threatening nearby settlements with floods.

The town of Graivoron in Russia’s Belgorod region, about 7 kilometers (more than 4 miles) from the Ukrainian border, was engulfed in flames for several hours, damaging four houses, a shop, a car, a gas line and an electricity line. Reported by Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Closer to the border, a recreation center, a shop and an empty house were damaged in the village of Glotovo. A woman was wounded when nearby Novaya Tavolshanka was shot, Gladkov said.

Earlier this week, the Belgorod region was the target of one of the worst cross-border attacks in Ukraine since the war broke out 15 months ago. Details of the raid were sketchy. Russia blamed Ukrainian armed forces, but two Russian groups said they were involved in trying to topple Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Two drones crashed in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, bordering Crimea, according to officials. Witnesses told local media that they heard the sound of a moped and then two explosions.

The explosions tore a hole in the roof of a building and shattered windows in an apartment building.

“We were just laying down and then there was such a strong, terrible boom,” resident Tatiana Safonova said. “We ran outside. People ran, but nothing else happened.

He said he had previously described the sound as a growling, noisy moped.

Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev wrote on Telegram that there were no casualties and some buildings were damaged, but basic infrastructure was not damaged.

The mayor of Krasnodar, Yevgeny Naumov, said that a residential building and an office building were damaged.

Drone attacks on Russia’s border regions have been regular since the invasion began in February 2022, and the number of attacks increased last month. Earlier this month, an oil refinery in Krasnodar was attacked by drones two days in a row.

At a meeting in Estonia, German and Baltic leaders brushed off concerns about the fighting spilling over into Russia.

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

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas noted that “Ukraine does not want to attack Russia”, while Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte added: “I’m a little puzzled by Russia’s concern because Russia is at war – so it’s quite strange. to think that the war can only be in the other territory which you have attacked.”

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry released a video on Thursday that appears to show a maritime drone heading towards the Russian reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs in the Black Sea. The video does not show that the drone hit the ship.

The video followed reports from the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday that Ukraine launched an unsuccessful attack on the Ivan Khurok with three unmanned speedboats, destroying all three before reaching the ship. Moscow released a video purportedly showing the destruction of one of the maritime drones.

At least two civilians were killed and three others were wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian presidential office reported on Friday.

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

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

Li visited Kyiv earlier this month. The government of Chinese leader Xi Jinping considers it neutral and wants to mediate the conflict, but has politically supported Moscow. Beijing issued a proposed peace plan in February, but Ukraine’s allies largely rejected it, insisting that Russian President Vladimir Putin withdraw his forces first.

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Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn (Estonia) and Elise Morton in London contributed.

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