Apartment block collapses in Russian border city after heavy shelling, 6 killed

Moscow, May 12

An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least six dead and 20 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling for the building’s destruction.

Online footage showed rescuers searching for survivors among the remnants of the building’s stairwell, then fleeing the scene as part of the roof crashed to the ground. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said that six bodies had been recovered from the rubble so far.

In a statement, Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s top law enforcement agency, said the 10-story block had been hit by Ukrainian shelling.

The Russian Defence Ministry later wrote on social media that the building had been damaged by fragments of a downed Tochka-U TRC missile. It also said that air defences had shot down several more rockets over the Belgorod region, as well as two drones that were destroyed in a separate incident later Sunday.

Air raid alerts continued across Belgorod as rescuers worked. The city also came under fire Saturday evening, killing one person and injuring 29 more, said Belgorod Gov Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Cities across western Russia have come under regular attack from drones since May 2023, with Russian officials blaming Kyiv. Ukrainian officials never acknowledge responsibility for attacks on Russian territory or the Crimean Peninsula.

The Belgorod region, on Russia’s western border, has been the target of a large number of strikes. Although most cross-border shelling is seen in rural areas, attacks have also been seen on the region’s capital.

In December 2023, shelling in the heart of Belgorod city killed 25 people, prompting authorities to start erecting public shelters.