There seems to be no end to the Russia-Ukraine war in sight as the toll continues to rise on both sides. Russia on Monday claimed that a Ukrainian missile strike killed at least 15 people on Sunday in Belgorod. A 10-storey building in an apartment block in Belgorod was struck in the alleged missile attack, news agency Reuters reported citing Russia's claims. The building partially collapsed in the attack. Reuters reported that the attack involved 2 missiles — the Tochka ballistic missiles and Adler and RM-70 Vampire (MLRS) multiple-launch rocket systems.
Russia's defence ministry slammed the Ukrainian missile strike on Belgorod and said it was a "terrorist attack on residential areas". A footage from the scene shared by Governor of Belgorod Vyacheslav Gladkov showed at least 10 storeys of the building collapsing. As emergency services personnel approached to save the lives of the survivors stuck under the debris, the roof collapsed, sending them rushing for cover.
Meanwhile, Gladkov claimed that four more people were reported dead while 27 were injured in separate attacks by Ukraine on Sunday.
As per the Russian Ministry of Defence, the country's air defence forces destroyed two of the Soviet-era conventional ballistic missiles. The ministry says they were launched overnight by Ukrainian forces over Belgorod. Apart from this, a missile attack on a restaurant in eastern Ukraine at Donetsk was reported. The attack killed three people and wounded eight, reported Reuters.
Both the warring countries have maintained that they do not target civilians. However, the war, which erupted in 2022, has killed thousands and has displaced millions by now, with Ukrainian cities suffering the most out of this.
However, Ukraine has clarified its stance over the attack, saying it was an act of ‘retaliation’ as the battle's ongoing situation in the southern Donetsk region was already getting “extremely difficult” for Kyiv.