Moscow, Aug 31, 2024, IANS

Moscow, Aug 31 (IANS) Five people were killed and 37 others injured after Ukrainian forces attacked Russia's Belgorod region, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel. Gladkov said Ukrainian armed forces used cluster munitions from a Vampire multiple rocket launcher system to shell the city of Belgorod and its surrounding areas, causing significant casualties and damage, Xinhua news agency reported. "One woman and four men died on the spot from their injuries before the ambulance arrived," the Governor said. A total of 37 civilians, including six children, were injured in the attack, Gladkov said, adding that all of the wounded have been transported to medical facilities in Belgorod for treatment, among whom seven adults and three children were in critical condition. According to Gladkov, the assault caused extensive property damage in Belgorod, shattering roofs and windows in two apartment buildings and damaging the glazing and facades of social facilities and commercial properties. A fire ignited by the strike on the city's outskirts has been extinguished. The attack also damaged 13 vehicles near a shopping centre in the village of Dubovoye, located just to the south of the city of Belgorod, and set two houses, a car and a garage on fire, he said. Last week, at least five people were killed and 12 others injured on Sunday in an attack by Ukrainian armed forces on the village of Rakitnoye in Belgorod. The attack also caused severe damage to local infrastructure, destroying 10 private homes, two commercial buildings, and four passenger vehicles, the Governor informed. On August 24, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked over 30 settlements in Russia's border region of Belgorod over the past 24 hours. Russia had declared a federal-level state of emergency in the Belgorod region as Ukrainian forces continued their offensive near the Russian borders, Xinhua news agency reported. Russia's Defence Ministry had said that the Russian forces continue to repel the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into its territory, adding that Ukraine has lost more than 360 servicemen and 29 armoured vehicles over the past 24 hours.