February 6 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s nighttime shelling has caused “serious damage” to the Russian city of Belgorod near the border, the governor of Belgorod said early on Friday.
Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a solemn video posted on Telegram after midnight that city officials were holding an emergency meeting to develop an action plan.
“Unfortunately, I cannot say good night, dear friends,” Gladkov said in the video, which was recorded in near darkness.
“The enemy shelled the civilian city of Belgorod. Everyone knows that we have no military targets. The damage was severe. I have gone out to look around.”
A post on the unofficial Russian Telegram channel Mash, which has security sources, said the missiles struck the city about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Ukrainian border and that power had been cut in some areas.
Since Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in February 2022, Ukrainian forces have frequently attacked Belgorod and parts of the nearby region.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Tom Hogg)
