Ukrainian missile kills 15 at apartment block, Russia says

MOSCOW: At least 15 people were killed and scores injured on Sunday when a section of a Russian apartment block collapsed after being struck by fragments of a Soviet-era missile, launched by Ukraine and shot down by Russia, Russian officials said.

In one of the deadliest attacks to date on the region of Belgorod, Ukraine launched what Russian officials said was a massive missile attack, involving Tochka ballistic missiles and Adler and RM-70 Vampire (MLRS) multiple launch rocket systems.

Russia’s emergency ministry said early on Monday that 15 people were killed when the building collapsed. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the region, said that four more people died on Sunday in separate attacks by Kyiv.

Twenty-seven people were injured on Sunday in various attacks, Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Russia’s defence ministry said at least 12 missiles were involved in the Belgorod strikes, which it called a “terrorist attack on residential areas”.

“Fragments of one of the downed Tochka-U missiles damaged an apartment building in the city of Belgorod,” the ministry said.

Footage from the scene showed at least 10 storeys of the building collapsing. Later, as emergency services scoured the rubble for survivors, the roof collapsed and people ran for their lives, dust and rubble falling behind them.

Both Ukraine and Russia say they do not target civilians in the war which erupted when Russia invaded its smaller neighbour in February of 2022. The war has killed thousands, displaced millions and turned Ukrainian cities into rubble.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the attack, which it said was “barbaric”. Russia’s foreign ministry said the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure was criminal.