Two Reported Killed In Ukrainian Strikes On Russian Regions

Russia's border regions of Belgorod and Kursk have been targeted again in a series of Ukrainian drone and missile strikes that killed at least two people, wounded several others, and caused material damage.

The Defense Ministry in Moscow said on March 14 that it had thwarted another attempt by troops from Ukraine to cross into Russia's Belgorod region following a similar claim on March 12.

The ministry said its air-defense systems shot down 14 Ukrainian drones overnight -- 11 drones over Belgorod and three over the Kursk region.

Several border settlements in the Belgorod region, along with its capital, were shelled on the morning of March 14, media and Russian pro-war bloggers reported.

The Baza Telegram channel, citing local residents, reported a loud midmorning blast near the train station in the city of Belgorod and later added that at least three people were wounded as a result of Ukrainian shelling.

Belgorod regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that one person was killed and two others were wounded in the attack in Belgorod.

Later, reports said a second person died on March 14 in the city.

Both deaths apparently occurred in vehicles struck by blasts in Belgorod.

Meanwhile, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), one of the groups of Russians fighting alongside of Ukrainian armed forces against Moscow, called on the residents of Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions to either evacuate or "immediately take shelter."

RDK, together with the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Siberian Battalion, which are also comprised of Russian citizens who have been fighting alongside Ukrainian armed forces in the war, on March 12 claimed to have launched cross-border attacks into Russia territory.

The Kremlin said Russian forces repelled the incursions and inflicted heavy losses on the armed groups. Neither claim could be independently verified.

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Dozens of Ukrainian drones have struck energy infrastructure in several Russian regions in recent days, including oil refineries in the Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and the Leningrad regions.

Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Ukrainian intelligence sources told media outlets, including RFE/RL, that the attacks were part of systematic strategy to damage Russia's economy.

"Our task is to deprive the enemy of resources and reduce the flow of oil money and fuel, which the Russia directs toward the war and the murdering of our citizens," a source told RFE/RL on March 13.

In Ukraine, the northeastern regions of Sumy and Kharkiv were attacked with drones and a missile, causing damage to civilian infrastructure, regional officials reported.

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The attacks targeted the cities of Sumy, Shostka, Trostyanets, and Bilopil in Sumy, the regional military administration reported this morning, adding that the damage was still being assessed.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, the attackers used drones and an S-300 missile, causing minor damage to several apartment buildings but no casualties, Mayor Ihor Terekhov and regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov reported.

The Ukrainian military said its air-defense systems shot down 22 of the 36 drones launched overnight by Russia.

In late afternoon on March 14, an air-raid alert was declared for the entire territory of Ukraine.