Belgorod Strikes: At least seven people were killed in a missile strike by Ukraine on the Russian city of Belgorod on Thursday, as per regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. A one-year-old baby girl named Valentina was among the dead, informed the official.

Eighteen other people were injured in the attack on Belgorod, with six critical in hospital. The injured include four children, two of whom would be treated in Moscow.

In a message on social app Telegram, Gladkov said, “We are all grieving with the families and friends of the victims. I want to express my sincere condolences, realising that there are no words that can comfort this grief.”

The Russian defence ministry said the latest Belgorod attack was carried out with Czech-made Vampire rockets, similar to those used in the December strikes on the city.

Belgorod - Frequent Target of Ukraine

The Russian city of Belgorod is at the border with Ukraine and has been attacked a number of times since February 24, 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine war began.

The last attack on Belgorod was on December 30, 2023. The attack killed 25 people and injured over 100, say reports.

Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Belgorod attack an "act of terrorism by the Kyiv regime".

Russia would take the case to the UN Security Council, she said.

The Russian defence ministry has been reported as saying that its air defence systems had shot down 14 Ukrainian rockets over the Belgorod region.

Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit said that Ukraine was “deliberately hitting a cluster of civilians”, adding that a shopping mall, an outdoor sports facility and some residential areas were targetted in the Belgorod attack.