THIS is the dramatic moment Ukraine’s “Vampire” rocket launcher blasted Belgorod as Kyiv now attempts a second brave incursion into Russia.
Footage showed the powerful strikes in the Russian city on Friday, which killed five people and wounded at least another 46.
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A series of rapid-fire explosions from the “Vampire” multiple rocket launcher were seen hitting the city, with vehicles on a highway also targeted.
CCTV captured the moment blasts began raining down in Belgorod as desperate drivers scrambled through traffic to flee the chaos.
Video also appeared to show homes going up in flames after being hit by Kyiv’s rockets.
Elsewhere in Belgorod, an official admitted that ill-disciplined Russian soldiers are staging a “wave of looting” of homes of evacuated locals.
The border region has previously come under attack as strikes hit the region last December.
But it is now being increasingly drawn into Mad Vlad’s brutal war as Ukraine attempts a second surge into Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s brave troops have been eyeing Belgorod after swiftly smashing into Kursk.
Only a few days into the first incursion, residents of Belgorod were advised to take shelter.
Governor Gladkov wrote in a Telegram message: “The entire territory of the Belgorod region is a MISSILE DANGER.
“Go down to the basement. Stay there until you receive the signal ‘all clear missile danger.'”
Around 11,000 people were evacuated from the Krasnoyaruzhsky district in Belgorod, Russian outlet TASS reported.
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It is understood that Kyiv’s forces are attacking border checkpoints as Putin’s soldiers desperately fight back to defend their territory.
Citing Vlad’s defence ministry, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the Ukrainians were trying to “break through the border”.
He said: “According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the situation on the border remains difficult but under control.
“Our military is carrying out planned work. Please remain calm and trust only official sources of information.”
According to Telegram channel Mash, up to 300 of Zelensky’s soldiers have advanced towards the Shebekino border crossing, with an additional 200 moving west at Nekhoteyevka.
Rumours of aggressive Ukrainian attacks are also rumbling on Telegram, with reports varying across multiple channels.
The 340,000-person metropolis of Belgorod is only 23 kilometres away from the Nekhoteyevka checkpoint.
Telegram channel Shot reported that Ukrainians were forced back into Nekhoteyevka and that there was no fighting at Shebekino.
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It added that eight Ukrainian armoured vehicles and up to 60 soldiers also attempted to cross the border but were immediately attacked by intense Russian fire.
Although Kyiv forces were driven back into a woodland, according to the pro-Kremlin channel, they are still attacking Russian positions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said his troops had reached the 100-town milestone in their Kursk offensive.
He told Ukrainian TV they also controlled 500 square miles of Russian soil.
The head of the UN nuclear agency also flew into Kursk on Friday to examine a power plant, which is situated roughly 25 miles away from the frontlines in an alarming development.
Similar fears previously swelled regarding a plant in Ukraine‘s Zaporizhzhia after Russia invaded in 2022.
Friday’s shelling in Belgorod came hours after a Russian guided bomb attacked a playground in Ukraine’s Kharkiv.
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KHARKIV BLITZ
The heartless strike, which took place immediately across the border from Belgorod, killed seven and wounded at least 97.
Horror videos showed the carnage after the blitz as a blaze engulfed an apartment building and left the scene near the detonations a wreck.
Thick black smoke poured out of the apartment building and a nearby car with the blaze able to be seen from across the city
A 14 year old girl was also among the dead in Kharkiv, as was acclaimed young artist Veronika ‘Nika’ Kozhushko, 18.
Ukrainian writer, poet, musician and serviceman Serhiy Zhadan said: “Nika Kozhushko died – very young, sincere and gifted.
“An hour before her death, she sent her new drawing. That is, her last drawing.
“The Russians continue to destroy our future. There is no explanation for this. And there is no forgiveness either.”
In response to the attack, president Zelensky reiterated his plea to be allowed to strike targets deeper inside Russia.
But it was unclear if today’s Ukrainian shelling was a direct reprisal strike for the Kharkiv strikes, but Kyiv in recent days has also sought to make incursions inside Belgorod, mirroring its tactics in Kursk.
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Russian sources accused Ukraine of targeting civilians with cluster munitions.
Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said: “Five civilians were killed.
“My heartfelt condolences go to all relatives and close ones.
“46 civilians were injured. 37 are currently in hospitals, seven of them – children.
“One child is in severe condition, he underwent surgery.
“The medics will now report on his current condition and on what needs to be done to save his health.
“Two adult patients are being prepared for transportation to Moscow.”
Gladkov claimed the attacks shattered the roofs and windows in two apartment buildings, also damaging the glazing and facades of social facilities and commercial properties.
A fire ignited by the strike on the outskirts of the city was extinguished.
The attack also damaged 13 vehicles near a shopping centre in the village of Dubovoye, south of the city, and set two houses, a car and a garage on fire, he said.
Meanwhile, villages close to the Ukrainian border – which remain in Russian control – are being hit by looting by Vladimir Putin’s troops, said the head of Grayvoron urban district, Gennady Bondarev.
He complained of looting by soldiers in settlements Mokraya Orlovka, Kozinka, Glotovo and Gorkovsky.
Houses were being robbed, not by locals but the military, he said.
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