5 killed in Russian border village after Ukrainian drone strike

A drone strike on Saturday on a residence in Gorodishche, a small village in Russia's Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including two young children, said the regional governor.

"To our great grief, five people were killed ... including two small children. Another two members of the family are in a serious condition," Kursk governor Alexei Smirnov said in a post on Telegram.

Smirnov stated that the attack was carried out using a "copter"-style drone, a compact device capable of carrying grenades or other explosives to be dropped on targets. Both Russia and Ukraine have extensively employed drones, including larger self-detonating models with ranges of up to hundreds of kilometers, since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022.

Throughout this year, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian territory, targeting energy sites that it claims power Russia's military, as well as towns and villages close to the border.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a major new land offensive in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region last month, stating that the operation aimed to establish a "buffer zone" and push back Ukrainian forces to safeguard Russia's Belgorod region from shelling.

The Kursk region, where Saturday's attack took place, is situated further north, opposite Ukraine's Sumy region, which is under Kyiv's control.