Two Ukrainian Drones Shot Down by Russian Air Defense Near Kursk, Governor Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's air defense forces overnight shot down two Ukrainian Strizh drones on their approach to the Russian city of Kursk, with no casualties reported, Governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoit said Sunday.

"Tonight on the approach to Kursk our air defense forces brought down two Ukrainian Strizh drones. Thanks to the competent actions of the armed forces no one was injured," Starovoit said on social media.

He also extended condolences to the families of victims killed during an alleged shelling in the Belgorod region reported earlier in the day.

Earlier on Sunday, a Sputnik correspondent reported that loud popping sounds were heard in the city of Belgorod. Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that one private house was on fire, later informing that three people were killed and four others injured, including a child.

A screenshot from a social media video showing a house on fire allegedly in Belgorod, Russia, on July 3, 2022.

© Photo : Screenshot

Gladkov stated that the causes of the incident are being investigated, assuming that an air defense system was triggered. According to preliminary information, at least 39 private houses in Belgorod were destroyed, five of them collapsed completely, with 11 apartment buildings partially damaged.