KYIV
\nUkrainian shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod killed two people, officials said Saturday, while Russia claimed to have thwarted a new attempt by saboteurs to cross the border.
\nSaturday\u2019s attacks occurred as Russians entered the second day of voting in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin\u2019s rule by another six years after he crushed dissent.
\nA man and a woman died in the attack and three other people were wounded, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app. It was the latest in exchanges of long-range missile and rocket fire in Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine.
\nFive people were also wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the village of Glotovo, some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Gladkov said.
\nRussia\u2019s Defense Ministry also said Saturday that it had thwarted attempts by \u201cUkrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups\u201d to enter the country from Ukraine\u2019s Sumy region. That followed an armed incursion claimed by Ukraine-based Russian opponents of the Kremlin on Tuesday in the Belgorod and Kursk regions,
\nRussia\u2019s Defense Ministry said that Moscow\u2019s military and security forces killed 30 fighters while thwarting the latest incursion.
\nThe Russian Volunteer Corps \u2014 one of the groups who claimed to have crossed the border on Tuesday, who say they are \u201cfighting for the freedom of the Ukrainian and Russian peoples\u201d \u2014 released a video on social media Saturday claiming to have captured 25 Russian soldiers.
\nCross-border attacks in the area have occurred sporadically since the war began and have been the subject of claims and counterclaims, as well as disinformation and propaganda.
\nAlso on Saturday, a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery belonging to Russian oil giant Rosneft in the Samara region, some 450 miles (725 kilometers) from the Ukrainian border, regional Gov. Dmitry Azarov said. He said an attack on another refinery was thwarted.
\n No casualties were reported.
\nA Ukrainian drone also dropped an explosive close to a polling station in the illegally annexed Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, Russian state news agency Tass said. No injuries or damage were reported.
\nThe attacks come a day after a Russian assault on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed at least 21 people. The ballistic missile attack blasted homes in the southern city Friday, followed by a second missile that targeted first responders who arrived at the scene, officials said.
\nMore than 50 people are still in the hospital following the attacks, Odesa Deputy Mayor Svitlana Bedreha said Saturday, according to Ukrainian state media.
\nUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised a \u201cjust response\u201d to the attack in a video address Friday evening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KYIV Ukrainian shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod killed two people, officials said Saturday, while Russia claimed to have thwarted a new attempt by saboteurs to cross the border. Saturday\u2019s attacks occurred as Russians entered the second day of voting in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin\u2019s rule […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-394243","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n