Russia’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned what it described as Ukrainian drone strikes on civilian and industrial targets in Belgorod and Nizhnekamsk, accusing Kyiv of deliberately targeting civilian populations.

In a statement issued on August 10, 2026, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attacks had resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, including children and foreign nationals. The claims and characterization of the attacks were made by the Russian government and have not been independently established in the statement.

According to Zakharova, drone attacks were carried out against residential areas in Belgorod during the night of August 8–9. She said six civilians were killed and 27 people were injured, including two boys aged four and nine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said approximately 30 apartment buildings were damaged, along with social facilities, administrative and commercial buildings and more than 30 vehicles.

Zakharova accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the civilian population after suffering what she described as setbacks on the front lines. She called the attacks “militarily senseless” and said Russia considered them to have been carried out for what Moscow described as terrorist purposes.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also addressed a separate drone attack reported in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, on the morning of August 10.

According to Zakharova, drones targeted residential and industrial buildings in the city. She said 13 people were killed and 39 were wounded.

In a separate statement concerning the deaths of foreign nationals, Zakharova said that, according to preliminary information, eight of those killed were citizens of Uzbekistan and another was a citizen of Tajikistan. She added that around 20 foreign nationals were among the injured.

The Russian Foreign Ministry alleged that the strikes deliberately targeted locations where citizens of friendly countries lived and worked. Moscow said such attacks could harm not only Russian civilians but also nationals of other countries and accused Kyiv of attempting to create tensions between Russia and those countries.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry expressed condolences to the families and relatives of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Zakharova also said that Russia’s Investigative Committee had opened criminal cases over the attacks. She stated that those responsible would be identified and would face what she described as “inevitable, severe punishment or military retribution.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on members of the international community, international organizations and independent media to condemn what Moscow described as attacks against civilians.

“We will regard silence as complicity in and encouragement of further attacks on Russia’s civilian population,” Zakharova said.

The ministry further accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out repeated attacks against civilian populations in Russian regions, saying casualties have included children, women and elderly people.

The latest statements come amid continuing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides regularly reporting drone and missile attacks against targets across the conflict zone and beyond.

Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure and residential areas, while Kyiv has maintained that its military operations are aimed at countering Russia’s military capabilities and aggression. Claims concerning individual strikes and casualty figures can be difficult to independently verify during the ongoing conflict.

This article is based on statements issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on August 10, 2026. The allegations regarding responsibility, intent and casualty figures are attributed to Russian authorities and should be treated accordingly pending independent verification.

Disclaimer: This article is based on statements issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Claims regarding the attacks, casualties, responsibility and alleged intent are attributed to Russian authorities and may not have been independently verified. Readers should consult multiple reliable sources for additional confirmation and context.