Ukrainian shelling of Russian village kills four, governor says

Attack on village inside Russian territory follows drone raid on fuel storage facility in Russia-annexed Crimea that destroyed thousands of tonnes of oil.

An empty Red Square is closed for Victory Parade preparation with the St Basil's Cathedral and Lenin Mausoleum in the background with words reading "Victory 1945-2023" in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
The reported attack in Bryansk, Russia, comes as the country prepares to mark the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, closing Red Square in Moscow on April 29, 2023, in readiness for Victory Parade day on May 9 [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP]

At least four civilians have been killed and two others wounded as a result of Ukrainian shells hitting a village in Russia’s Bryansk region, the regional governor said

Shells hit the village of Suzemka, to the east of the frontier between the two countries, Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk region, said on Sunday, according to the TASS state-owned news agency.

“Two more civilians have been found and removed from the rubble. Unfortunately, both of them died,” Alexander Bogomaz, the local governor, said on Telegram.

Bogomaz earlier said two people were killed when “the Ukrainian army shelled Suzemka.” Two other villagers were taken to hospital with injuries, the official said.

Prior to the deadly attack, the governor had reported that a shell hit a residential building in Suzemka, causing partial damage and injuring one person.

Moscow-installed officials in eastern Ukraine also reported that Ukrainian shelling had killed nine people, including an eight-year-old girl in the city of Donetsk.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, such as Crimea.

The reported attack on the Russian village comes just days after Russia renewed indiscriminate missile attacks on Ukrainian cities that killed 25 people, including children.

Meanwhile, a suspected drone attack caused a massive fuel storage facility fire in Russian-annexed Crimea on Saturday.

A Ukrainian military intelligence official told local media that more than 10 fuel storage tanks with a capacity of about 40,000 tonnes of oil — intended for use by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet — were destroyed.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that is now in its second year.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Advertisement