Ukraine, Russia Exchange Missile Strikes With Both Sides Reporting Deaths

A Ukrainian soldier says goodbye to his wife after a short break from his frontline duties at the train station in Kramatorsk on February 14.

Ukraine and Russia on February 15 both reported missile and drone strikes that caused deaths and injuries among civilians and caused material damage.

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Ukraine declared an all-out air-raid alert for the second time on February 15 after Russian MiG-31 warplanes were detected after taking off from military airfields inside Russia.

Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Ukraine's eastern region of Kharkiv, said that the number of people killed in an overnight Russian missile strike on the village of Velikiy Burluk near the Russian border has risen to five, after the body of a 27-year-old woman was pulled from under the rubble.

"As of now, five civilians are known to have been killed -- three women aged 74, 54, and 27, and two men aged 41 and 53," Synyehubov wrote on Telegram.

Local authorities said Russian S-300 guided missiles hit a two-story residential building and another one next to it.

Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv's military administration, said all missiles targeting the city were shot down and there were no casualties after a first air-raid alert that lasted for more than two hours in the morning.

In Lviv, Mayor Andriy Sadovy said the windows of several buildings were blown out by explosions, but there were no casualties. Zaporizhzhya Governor Ivan Fedorov said an infrastructure objective was hit in the city and one person was wounded.

The air defense of the Ukrainian military reported that it shot down 13 out of the 26 missiles launched by Russia in the latest wave of strikes on February 15.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported Ukrainian missiles struck a shopping center in the western city of Belgorod, located some 30 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, said at least five people were killed and that there was considerable material damage.

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"According to preliminary data, five people were killed in Belgorod, including one child, another 18 people were injured, five of whom were children. Ambulance crews transport victims to medical facilities. All necessary assistance is provided," Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

Videos showing a damaged shopping center are circulating on social media.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its air-defense forces had shot down 14 Ukrainian missiles over the Belgorod region. The ministry did not mention any casualties or damage.

An oil depot near the western Russian city of Kursk close to the border with Ukraine caught fire after being hit by Ukrainian drones early on February 15, regional Governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties.

Ukraine has not commented on the Russian claims, which could not be independently verified immediately.