Debris from a drone destroyed over Russia's western region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, fell on homes and killed three people, including a young child, the regional governor said Thursday.
Air defense systems "shot down an aircraft-type UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] approaching the city", said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, adding that the falling debris destroyed several homes.
"Most importantly, three people were killed, one of them a small child," he said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, accompanied by pictures of a house reduced to a pile of rubble behind.
"A difficult morning for all of us," the governor said, offering his condolences to the loved ones of those killed.
"We are all grieving."
Earlier, Gladkov had said that the bodies of a man and a woman had been discovered in the destroyed home, while another man and woman injured in the incident were brought to the hospital.
The man was in a coma and had suffered significant burns, while the woman had a concussion and a fractured leg, he said, adding that doctors had assessed the woman's condition as "serious."
In all, Gladkov said that "two residential buildings were [completely] destroyed and several residential buildings and cars were damaged."
Early Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that an attempted Ukrainian drone attack in the Belgorod region had been "thwarted" at around 11:50 pm Wednesday.
It made no mention of casualties.
Since Ukraine launched its counteroffensive in June, Russia has weathered waves of drone attacks, especially in its border regions.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian shelling killed two civilians in the Belgorod region, according to Gladkov.
English (United States) ·