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2 Killed By Ukrainian Strike On Russia's Belgorod, Officials Say


The aftermath of a military strike on Belgorod on March 17
The aftermath of a military strike on Belgorod on March 17

Two people were killed and four others were wounded in a Ukrainian air strike on Russia's Belgorod region on March 18, the head of the region's administration, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on Telegram.

Gladkov said one of the two victims was a 17-year-old boy, while one of the wounded was a young girl pulled from under the rubble.

Ukraine has not commented on the attack, which could not be independently confirmed.

Russia's Defense Ministry earlier on March 18 said the Belgorod region had been targeted by 10 Ukrainian Vampire missiles. All had been shot down by the air defense systems, it said.

Meanwhile, air-defense systems shot down 17 of the 22 drones launched by Russia at several Ukrainian regions early on March 18, Ukraine's military said in a statement on Telegram.

The drones were destroyed over nine Ukrainian regions -- Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskiy, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsya, Zaporizhzhya, and Rivne -- the military said, adding that the Kharkiv and Sumy regions were also targeted by a total of seven missiles.

The military did not report any casualties or damage, but regional authorities in Sumy said civilian infrastructure was damaged in the city of Konotop.

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