Kyiv said on Friday that Russian attack drones had struck a school that shelters displaced Russians in Ukrainian-held territory in Russia’s western Kursk region.
Ukraine launched a shock cross-border offensive into Kursk last year but have since been struggling to hold swathes of territory it captured in the largest incursion of foreign forces into Russia since World War II.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Two small Russian drones attacked the site in the town of Sudzha one day earlier, said Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military administration in Kursk.
Two civilians suffered concussion, he told AFP, adding that two children near the site where the drone struck were unharmed.
Sudzha had an estimated population of 5,000 people before Ukraine launched its offensive last August.
It is the largest town controlled by Ukraine in the Kursk region and is home to gas facilities that were important for Russian exports to Europe, since halted by Kyiv.
Video published by Ukrainian officials in Kursk show drones hitting the courtyard of the school.
Around 100 civilians who had fled fighting were at the facility, mainly women and children, at the time of the attack, they added.
The video shows a group of frightened civilians taking cover inside the school building after being alerted to the drone attack by a Ukrainian soldier.
Kyiv says its forces are providing humanitarian assistance including food and medical aid to civilians in Kursk.
Which Foreign Leaders Are Invited to Trump’s Inauguration?
Dmytrashkivsky said around 2,000 civilians remain around Sudzha and that several dozen had been killed in Russian strikes.
Russia is seeking to retake areas of Kursk region under Ukrainian control. Kyiv says those territories will be a vital bargaining chip before any peace negotiations.
Kyiv, Seoul and Washington say Moscow has deployed thousands of North Korea troops to Kursk to push out Ukrainian forces.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
