A Russian officer was killed in a drone strike near the Ukraine border on Sunday, according to local reports.
The officer, Alexei Chernykh, was deputy chief of a local branch of the anti-corruption police. He was killed while mowing his lawn in the village of Schetinovka, which is located just one mile from the border with Ukraine.
The strike is the latest in a series of cross-border attacks by Ukraine. In recent months, Ukraine has struck deep into Russia, including an attack on the Kremlin in May and numerous drone attacks on civilian targets in Moscow.
The drone strike that killed Chernykh is believed to have been carried out by a Ukrainian drone. Telegram channel Baza confirmed that a bomb was dropped on Chernykh’s property.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has accused Ukraine of being behind the strike. He says that a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device on a civilian who was mowing his lawn at his summer cottage. The victim died from shrapnel wounds.
If Chernykh’s death is confirmed, he would become the latest high-ranking Russian official to be killed since the invasion of Ukraine began.
Around six generals have been confirmed by Russian sources to have been killed since February 2022, with Ukraine claiming the true figure to be 15.
The drone strike that killed Chernykh is a major escalation in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. It is the first time that a Russian officer has been killed in a cross-border attack.
The strike is a sign that Ukraine is willing to strike deep into Russia, and it is a major blow to the morale of the Russian military.
The strike also comes at a time when Russia is suffering heavy losses in Ukraine. In recent weeks, Ukraine has retaken control of several key cities in the east of the country, and it is now mounting a counter-offensive against Russian forces.
The drone strike that killed Chernykh is a major setback for Russia, and it is a sign that the war in Ukraine is not going as planned for the Kremlin
