Ukrainian drones attack two villages in Russia's Belgorod

Drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have attacked two villages in the Shebekinsky district of the Belgorod Region, the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on his Telegram channel.

The first strike was on the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, where a drone attacked a passenger car. The driver received shrapnel wounds to the shoulder and was taken to Shebekinsky district hospital. The injuries turned out to be light, hospitalisation was not required, Caliber.Az reports.

In addition, windows were broken in three private houses, facades and fences were cut with shrapnel.

An almost similar case was recorded in the village of Terezovka, where a passenger car was attacked by two drones at once. The car was damaged, and there was no information about casualties.

Ukraine launched its surprise offensive last week with a major cross-border raid into Kursk. Russia appears to be struggling to contain the incursion and has announced emergency measures and evacuated tens of thousands.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces were continuing to advance in Kursk and that he has ordered his generals to develop the next “key steps” in the operation. Kyiv now claims it controls at least 1,000sq km (386sq miles) of Russia.

Nearly 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate from border regions. On August 14, the governor of the Belgorod region declared a state of emergency, blaming the relentless bombardment by Ukraine.

Russia, which has deployed reinforcements to the region, said it had halted the Ukrainian advance and that attacks had been repelled at villages about 26 to 28km (16 to 17 miles) from the border.