MOSCOW: Ukraine fired at least eight missiles at Russia’s Belgorod border region, killing one person and wounding six, local officials said Thursday, as Kyiv’s forces apparently kept up their efforts to rattle the Kremlin on the eve of Russia’s presidential election.
Also, in Russia’s Kursk border region, Ukrainian forces attempted a cross-border raid that was repelled, according to local authorities. It was not possible to independently verify the Russian claims.
The Ukrainian assaults on Russian territory in recent days, including long-range drone attacks and alleged incursions by Ukraine-based Russian proxies, have come as President Vladimir Putin heads for near-certain reelection. Putin has sought to persuade Russians to keep him in power against a backdrop of what he says are foreign threats to the country.