Ukrainian drone strikes kill two in Belgorod and damage buildings near Moscow

Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least two civilians in the Belgorod region and damaged apartment buildings outside Moscow, Russian officials reported on Thursday, in the latest wave of cross-border attacks targeting Russian territory. Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said 56 drones were destroyed overnight, but that fires had broken out at two residential buildings in the towns of Pavlovsky Posad and Kubinka. Independent reports indicated that the Kubinka apartment block is located approximately five kilometres—about three miles—from the Russian military's Kubinka Air Base. Vorobyov also said a drone had crashed onto the grounds of an unidentified industrial plant in the village of Bolshoye Bunkovo, north of Pavlovsky Posad.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences had destroyed more than 100 drones flying towards the capital since Wednesday evening. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed it had intercepted 416 Ukrainian drones across Russia and annexed Crimea between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. In the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, authorities said one civilian had been killed in attacks over the previous 24 hours; later on Thursday, they confirmed that a passenger on a bus had died in a separate strike. The attacks come as Ukraine continues its campaign of deep strikes against Russian military and infrastructure targets, in response to Moscow's unprovoked and brutal invasion.

Kyiv has consistently maintained that it targets only military infrastructure, though Russian authorities have repeatedly reported civilian casualties. The Kremlin's forces, by contrast, have conducted a systematic campaign against Ukrainian cities, killing thousands of civilians and destroying critical infrastructure in what international observers have condemned as war crimes. Ukraine's right to self-defence, recognised under international law, underpins its operations against the Russian aggressor. The Ukrainian people, who have endured Moscow's assault on their sovereignty for more than three years, continue to resist with determination despite the devastating human cost inflicted by Russian forces. The World House, which maintains a dedicated page outlining its support for Ukraine at worldhouse.uk/support, continues to document the consequences of Russia's aggression.