JAKARTA - Russia called the explosion that killed three people and damaged dozens of residential buildings in the city of Belgorod, a missile attack from Ukraine.
"I emphasize that this missile attack was deliberately planned and launched against the civilian population of Russian cities," said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
Konashenkov said Russian air defenses had destroyed three Tochka-U missiles, but fragments of one of them fell on a residential building.
He said the missiles had also destroyed a Ukrainian drone laden with explosives approaching Kursk, another city in southern Russia.
Reuters could not independently confirm the claims.
Since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24, 2022, there have been numerous reports of attacks in Belgorod and other areas bordering Ukraine.
Moscow accused Kiev of carrying out the attack. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility but has described incidents at weapons stores and other locations as "karma" for the Russian invasion.
Belgorod is a city of nearly 400,000 people located about 40 km north of the border with Ukraine.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said at least four people were injured and two were hospitalized in the latest incident, including a 10-year-old boy.
In addition, at least 11 apartments and 39 houses were damaged, including five houses destroyed, Gladkov wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
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