Europe
Ukrainian drones kill three in Belgorod; Putin calls claims of stoking protests in Europe an “exaggeration”
The attack on the Russian border city also left 13 people injured and damaged 30 apartment buildings. In an interview with VGTRK, Putin dismissed European accusations over the protests in France.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 25, 2026, 20:40 · Updated 18:40 · 1 min read
In brief
- Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov: the toll rose to three dead after an injured man died in hospital.
- Governor Alexander Shuvayev reported damage to 30 apartment buildings, 35 cars and several administrative and commercial buildings.
- Putin said the accusations against Russia show the “weakness” of some European leaders in taking responsibility.
A Ukrainian drone attack on Belgorod, the Russian city near the border with Ukraine, left three people dead and 13 injured on Sunday. Mayor Valentin Demidov said the toll rose after one of the injured died in hospital, calling it “a great tragedy for the residents of the whole city.”
Regional Governor Alexander Shuvayev reported damage to 30 apartment buildings, 35 vehicles, four houses, three administrative buildings, eight commercial properties and three social services facilities. Early in the morning, another drone hit a car in the village of Voznesenovka in the same region, killing one person and injuring another.
Putin on the protests in Europe
Also on Sunday, Vladimir Putin rejected accusations that Russia is fueling mass protests in major European cities. In an interview with state broadcaster VGTRK, he called the claims an “obvious exaggeration” and said he was surprised that Europe's first reaction was aimed at the United States, before European leaders returned to “traditional” accusations against Moscow. “But now I am ready to respond,” he said, adding that the accusations show “the weakness and inability of some leaders in European countries to take responsibility.”
In France, student protests have been going on for several weeks. On Oct. 21, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot accused protesters of using “hostile narratives” from Russia, China, Iran and the MAGA community, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had called such accusations “absurd” on Oct. 19. U.S. President Donald Trump has linked the unrest to mass migration.
