Five dead in Ukrainian shelling in border region; Russian fire hits hotel where journalists are staying

Kyiv, Ukraine — Five people died in Ukrainian shelling in the Russian border region of Belgorod, authorities said Sunday, while Russian forces struck a hotel in eastern Ukraine, leaving a journalist missing and two others injured.

Twelve other people were injured in the Russian village of Rakitone, 38 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, including a 16-year-old girl who is said to be in critical condition, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

Russian forces struck a hotel in the eastern Donetsk region town of Kramatorsk on Saturday night, injuring two people and leaving another trapped under the rubble, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. The three are believed to be Ukrainian, American and British journalists.

Reuters news agency reported on Sunday that their reporter covering the war in Ukraine was missing and two other members of the team were hospitalized after the Sapphire Hotel, where a six-person crew was staying, was hit by “an apparent missile strike” on Saturday. “One of our colleagues is missing, while two others have been taken to hospital for treatment,” the agency said.

The rest of the team has been found, the news agency said.

In addition to the hotel, a nearby multi-story building was also destroyed, Filashkin said, and rescuers were busy cleaning up debris at the site.

Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region has also come under fire from Russia, injuring many civilians, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

In the Chuhuiv region of Kharkiv, five people were injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, after two houses were hit by Russian fire. In the city of Kharkiv, eight people were injured when a two-story house was set on fire by a Russian attack.

In Balaklia, a Russian strike destroyed six houses and damaged others. A 55-year-old man was injured. In the Kupiansk region, a house was set on fire by a Russian attack, injuring four women.

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