The fighters from the Western Military District have completed a thorough demining operation in the city of Valuyki, located in the Belgorod region, following a bombardment by Ukrainian forces. This update comes from the Russian Ministry of Defense, as reported by TASS.
The ministry noted that the Ukrainian strike damaged many civilian homes and personal vehicles, causing significant material losses for residents.
According to the Western Military District sappers, all tasks at the destination were finished. The site was fully cleared of dangerous debris and unexploded ordnance, and the fragments were set aside for further examination.
The Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that dangerous ammunition discovered during the demining could not be safely moved off-site and, therefore, was detonated at the location to ensure public safety.
Earlier, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Belgorod region governor, reported that Valuyki came under shelling by the Ukrainian army. He stated that the air defense system operated as the bombardment impacted the ground, sparing most structures from complete destruction.
Gladkov later described an incident during the assault on Valuyki, noting that a civilian woman sustained a shrapnel wound to the chest and was evacuated to the Valuyki Central Regional Hospital for treatment. He added that Ukrainian forces had been firing for more than an hour, while the air defense system reportedly shot down three targets and a drone as it neared the city.
Earlier statements from the Ukrainian side discussed talks with Russia, though those negotiations faced ongoing contention and did not conclude with an immediate agreement.