Zelenskyy Claims Russia Bombed Its Own Civilians in Kursk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of bombing its own civilians who were sheltering in a school in the Kursk region.

Zelenskyy alleged that Russia dropped an aerial bomb on a boarding school while civilians were still preparing to evacuate.

“This is how Russia wages war–Sudzha, Kursk region, Russian territory, a boarding school with civilians preparing to evacuate. A Russian aerial bomb. They destroyed the building even though dozens of civilians were there,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X on Saturday (local time).

He further stated, “This is how Russia waged war against Chechnya decades ago. They killed Syrians the same way. Russian bombs destroy Ukrainian homes the same way. And even against their own civilians, the Russian army uses similar tactics.”

According to CNN, Ukraine has made advancements in Kursk, as noted by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, on January 26. However, the Russian military claimed it had recaptured the region.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Russia launched a series of drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 people, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Ukraine’s air force stated that it had shot down 56 drones and redirected 61.

Ukraine’s Emergency Services reported that a missile strike on a residential building in the central city of Poltava killed eight people, including a child, and injured 17 others.

Additionally, a Ukrainian military official said on Friday that North Korean forces had “probably” withdrawn from the frontlines in Russia’s Kursk region after suffering significant losses, CNN reported.

Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, told CNN, “The presence of DPRK troops has not been observed for about three weeks, and they were probably forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses.”