Ukraine war: Attack on Russia’s Belgorod commercial complex close to border

At least five people died in an air attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, according to the governor of the region.

Eighteen people were hurt in the attack near the Ukrainian border.

Videos on social media showed many ambulances outside a shopping center with broken windows.

Russian officials said their defense systems shot down 14 missiles from Ukraine in the Belgorod region.

Russian Zvezda TV, which is connected to the military, reported that one missile hit a shopping center and one landed on the city’s sports stadium.

Belgorod is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) away from the Ukraine border.

Ukrainian forces have been attacking it since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.

In December, a drone and rocket attack killed 25 people and hurt 100 others in Belgorod, marking the deadliest attack in the city.

Yesterday, Russia shot 26 missiles at Ukraine. It killed a 66-year-old woman in Chuguyiv, near Kharkiv in the east, and hurt many other people.

At the same time, fighting continues in the eastern town of Avdiivka in Ukraine.

A few Ukrainian soldiers told the media that the town might be taken over very soon. They said they don’t have enough weapons and ammunition.

NATO boss Jen Stoltenberg said Thursday that if the US doesn’t keep helping Ukraine’s military, it will hurt them in fighting.

Avdiivka is an important place because it is a way to get to the city of Donetsk, which is controlled by Russia. It has been active on the front line since 2014 when the fighting in eastern Ukraine began.