Russia blames Ukraine after blast destroys apartments
By Lou Newton
Russia is blaming a Ukrainian strike after an entire section of an apartment block collapsed following an explosion in Belgorod.
CCTV from the scene shows a large blast near the base of the 10-floor structure and then the building falling in.
At least 17 people have been hurt and there are reports of fatalities and also of people trapped in the rubble.
The Russian city is near the border with Kharkiv in Ukraine, where Putin’s troops launched an offensive on Friday.
The Belgorod region has often been targeted by Ukrainian forces since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but there has been no word from Ukraine on the latest incident.
Previously officials in Kyiv have said Ukrainian strikes, including those on Belgorod, do not target civilians.
But the regional governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, accused Ukraine of bombarding the region, describing the cause of the explosion as a Ukrainian shell.
