TRANSCRIPT
Russia's Defence Ministry says at least nine people have been killed and around 20 injured by a Ukrainian airstrike on a residential building in the border city of Belgorod.
Footage released by Russian television shows a partially collapsed ten-storey building with rescuers searching through the rubble for residents.
Then the unthinkable happens and the roof collapses onto rescuers, forcing them to flee.
This emergency worker describes the rescue effort.
"We provided first aid here and, naturally, evacuated all people in the entire building. Then we went through all the apartments and provided first aid; you understand that people were having breakdowns, panic, hysteria."
This resident barely escaped the airstrike but lost his home.
"I just went outside and five minutes later - boom - a guy grabbed me and pulled inside somewhere - let's stay here. That's where I sat through the shelling. I come back out and see my building on fire - five minutes after I left it."
Ukrainian officials never acknowledge responsibility for attacks on Russian territory or the Crimean Peninsula.
This comes as Russian forces launch an armoured incursion on a new front near Kharkiv, with fierce fighting threatening Ukraine's second biggest city.
But Kharkiv's governor, Oleh Syniehubov, says there is no imminent danger to Kharkiv and no need to begin evacuating its roughly 1.3 million inhabitants.
Residents like Liubov Kalashnyk are staying put despite months of relentless rocket, drone and artillery attacks on the city.
"We go for a walk every evening. It is not that we are so courageous. There are moments when there are air raids and we do not quite know where to seek shelter, the basements are not great but we go out all the time, as soon as raids are over we head out."
Both Ukraine and Russia say they do not target civilians, though many civilians have been killed in the war by both sides.
The Kremlin says the attack was 'barbaric', while there has been no immediate comment from Ukraine on the attack.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the country's army faces a 'difficult' situation in the town of Vovchansk.
"Our task is obvious – we need to inflict as many losses as possible on the occupier. In particular, on the outskirts of Vovchansk, the situation is extremely difficult – the city is under constant Russian fire, and our military is carrying out counterattacks, helping local residents."
Vovchansk in Ukraine's northeast had a pre-war population of 17,000, and has emerged as a focal point in the battle against Russia.
Volodymyr Tymoshko is the head of the Kharkiv regional police.
He says Russian forces were in the outskirts of the town and approaching from three directions.
"Shooting battles are already taking place on the outskirts of Vovchansk from three sides. These are the outskirts; I can't say that the Russians entered Vovchansk but battles are already taking place on the outskirts of Vovchansk. ... Now the Russians are erasing Vovchansk from the face of the Earth and are using the 'scorched earth' method, that is, they are trying to burn the territory in front of them, then the infantry comes in and they always advance like that. Likewise, this is Bakhmut, this is Maryinka, this is Avdiivka. The same is happening now in Vovchansk."
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has nominated civilian Andrei Belousov as the new defence minister.
Mr Belousov, a former deputy prime minister with expertise in economics, will replace Sergei Shoigu.
President Putin intends Mr Shoigu to head Russia’s powerful Security Council and oversee the military-industrial complex.
These changes, expected to be approved by parliamentarians, mark the most significant shift in military leadership since the 2022 deployment of troops to Ukraine during a special military operation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says making a change to the ministry of defence will help Russia defeat Ukraine.
"And the second important thing is that today on the battlefield those who are more open for innovations, more open towards quick implementation (of the innovations), win. That is why it’s natural that on the current stage the president has taken the decision for a civilian to be in charge of the Ministry of defence."
The shake-up gives Mr Shoigu a job that is technically regarded as senior to his defence ministry role.
