Three people were killed in a drone attack on Russia’s western Belgorod region overnight, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Thursday.
![The aftermath of the attack. Photo: Vyacheslav Gladkov](https://novayagazeta.eu/static/records/734ad73219fa4310ad1e4706c5cec673.jpeg)
The aftermath of the attack. Photo: Vyacheslav Gladkov
The local authorities reported that the region’s air defences had shot down a drone approaching the city of Belgorod, setting a residential building on fire and destroying two more buildings.
Khaybar Akifi, a reporter for pro-government Russian news outlet Sputnik, and his wife Olesya were injured in the incident, according to Dmitry Kiselyov, an executive at Sputnik’s parent company Rossiya Segodnya.
![Photo: Khaybar Akifi and Olesya Akifi. Photo: social media](https://novayagazeta.eu/static/records/d5aa831687c04fbea37578d3ab10c2df.jpeg)
Photo: Khaybar Akifi and Olesya Akifi. Photo: social media
“The man is in a coma with multiple burns. His wife is in severe condition, she had her leg fractured and suffered a cerebral concussion,” Gladkov said.
The couple’s four-year-old daughter was killed in the strike, as were the parents of Olesya Akifi. The Akifi family reportedly arrived in the Belgorod region recently for a family visit.