Ukrainian drone strikes Russian Orthodox church
A Ukrainian drone has targeted a Russian Orthodox church in Belgorod Region, setting fire to the building, the local governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has reported.
Since the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, the Russian border region has repeatedly come under artillery and mortar fire, as well as UAV attacks, by Ukrainian forces.
In a post on his Telegram channel on Saturday, Gladkov wrote that the 'the enemy is striking our holy sites again – an enemy drone has attacked Saint George Church in the village of Tolokonnoye,' not far from Belgorod. According to the official, the building's domes caught fire as a result of the incident.
The governor thanked local self-defense forces for swiftly responding to the attack and extinguishing the flames quickly, which prevented further damage to the church.
In a separate post on Saturday, Gladkov estimated that over the past 24 hours, Kiev's forces have launched over 40 drones and fired nearly 150 artillery shells at multiple localities in Belgorod Region, resulting in material damage. There have been no reports of casualties.
Last Thursday, the iconic New Jerusalem Orthodox church complex in the region burned down following a Ukrainian drone strike. Commenting on the incident at the time, Gladkov described it as a 'deliberate' attack and also accused the Ukrainian military of subsequently targeting the firefighters who were trying to contain the blaze.
The metropolitan bishop of Belgorod Region, Ioann, similarly characterized the attack as 'intentional,' saying that Kiev's troops had deployed incendiary bombs. He also accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the first responders at the scene.
The New Jerusalem complex, a wooden reproduction of biblical Jerusalem, was built in the early 2000s.
In late February, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that 'it's clear that the Kiev regime doesn't shy away from anything… There's nothing sacred [for them].'
He made the remarks after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that it apprehended two suspects who had allegedly planned to assassinate Metropolitan Tikhon, the head of the Simferopol and Crimean diocese, with a bomb, presumably at the behest of the Ukrainian intelligence services.
Metropolitan Tikhon is purported to be a close spiritual adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, though neither man has ever confirmed this.
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