Three people were killed and one injured in a Ukrainian missile attack on Russia’s Belgorod region, the local governor said on Wednesday, and people might still be trapped under rubble.
Vycheslav Gladkov, the governor, said in a statement on Telegram that the attack was carried out on a settlement called Maslova Pristan, which is near the border with Ukraine.
He posted a photograph of a sports centre there that he said had been partially destroyed. The photo showed the building had sustained serious damage to its walls and roof.
Gladkov said that emergency services were working on the scene and that the rubble and wreckage was being cleared.
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Reuters could not independently verify his statement and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
A top Russian diplomat said on Wednesday that the impetus to find a peace deal to end the fighting in Ukraine that emerged after a summit between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump in August had proven to be largely exhausted.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin met at a cold war-era air force base in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15th in an attempt to end the deadliest land war in Europe since the second World War.
Mr Trump, who had previously said Kyiv should give up land to make peace with Moscow, has repeatedly said that he is disappointed with Mr Putin for not ending the war, and has cast Russia as a “paper tiger”.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees relations with the US and arms control, accused European powers that support Ukraine of successfully torpedoing peace efforts.
“Unfortunately, we have to admit that Anchorage’s powerful momentum in favour of agreements has been largely exhausted by the efforts of opponents and supporters of the war,” Mr Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
“This is the result of destructive activities, primarily by the Europeans,” he said.
Mr Ryabkov also said that the potential appearance of US Tomahawk missiles in Ukraine would mean a “qualitative” change in the situation, Interfax quoted him as saying.
Mr Trump said earlier this week he would want to know what Ukraine planned to do with Tomahawks before agreeing to provide them because he did not want to escalate the war.
Meanwhile, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that recent drone incidents and other airspace violations show Europe is facing hybrid warfare to which it must respond with measures that go beyond traditional defence.
“This is not random harassment,” Ms von der Leyen said in a speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
“It is a coherent and escalating campaign to unsettle our citizens, test our resolve, divide our union, and weaken our support for Ukraine. And it is time to call it by its name. This is hybrid warfare.”
Ms von der Leyen did not say Russia was responsible for all the incidents but said it was clear Russia’s aim is to “sow division” in Europe.
European officials have already attributed some of the recent incidents to Moscow.
“Tackling Russia’s hybrid war is not only about traditional defence,” Ms von der Leyen said. “This requires a new mindset for all of us. We can either shy away and watch Russian threats escalate, or we meet them with unity, deterrence and resolve.” - Reuters
