Russian officials say Ukrainian shelling kills two in border city

Two people were killed in Ukraine’s shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, Russian officials said on Saturday.

A man and a woman were killed in the attack and three others were injured, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. It was the latest exchange of long-range missiles and rockets in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Gradkov said a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the village of Grotovo, about 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from the Ukrainian border, injuring five people.

A Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire at a refinery of Russian oil giant Rosneft in the Samara region on Saturday, Samara region governor Dmitry Azarov said. He said an attack on another refinery was foiled. No injuries were reported.

The attack came a day after Russia attacked the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, killing at least 20 people. Officials said Friday’s ballistic missile attack destroyed homes in the southern city before a second missile was fired targeting first responders arriving at the scene.

Odessa regional governor Ole Kiper said on Saturday that 40 people remained in hospital after the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised a “just response” to the attack in a video address on Friday night.

Saturday’s attack came as Russia entered its second day of voting in a presidential election that will almost certainly extend Putin’s rule for another six years after a crackdown on dissent.