Five individuals were reported dead in Ukrainian shelling incidents in Russia’s Belgorod border region, while Russian forces targeted a hotel in eastern Ukraine, resulting in one journalist missing and two others injured. The attack in the Russian village of Rakitone left twelve others wounded, including a critically injured 16-year-old girl, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.
In the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Donetsk, Russian forces struck a hotel overnight, injuring two individuals and trapping one under the rubble, as reported by regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin. Among the casualties were journalists from Ukraine, the U.S., and the U.K., with a Reuters journalist reported missing and two others hospitalized.
The Reuters news agency revealed that their team members were at the Hotel Sapphire when it was hit by a missile strike, leading to the disappearance of one colleague and injuries to two others. The agency confirmed that the rest of the team was safe and accounted for.
Aside from the hotel strike, a multistory building nearby was also destroyed, with rescue operations ongoing at the scene. Additionally, Ukraine’s Kharkiv region experienced Russian attacks, causing several civilian injuries, according to regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov.
In the Chuhuiv region of Kharkiv, five individuals, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, were injured after two houses were hit by Russian fire. In Kharkiv city, eight people sustained injuries when a Russian attack set a two-story house on fire. In Balakliia, six houses were destroyed and a 55-year-old man was injured, while in Kupiansk, four women were wounded when a house was set on fire by Russian forces.
