Ukraine initiated a series of attacks as Russians began the second day of voting in the presidential election. Ukrainian shelling in the southern Russian city of Belgorod resulted in the deaths of two people, while a drone attack caused a fire at a Russian oil refinery south of Moscow. Russian authorities claimed to have stopped an attempt by saboteurs to cross the border.
The attacks occurred as Russians participated in the presidential election, expected to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule for another six years. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that a man and a woman died in the attack, and three others were wounded.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated that Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were thwarted from entering the country from Sumy region. The Russian Defence Ministry also reported preventing an armed incursion in the Belgorod and Kursk regions, killing 30 fighters in the process.
A Ukrainian drone caused a fire at a Russian oil refinery, while another attack on a different refinery was prevented. The attacks were in the Samara region southeast of Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed a “just response” to the missile attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, which claimed at least 20 lives and left over 50 people hospitalized.