MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. The number of those injured in the Ukrainian shelling of the town of Shebekino in southwest Russia’s Belgorod Region has risen to eight, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday.
"Ukrainian units have been shelling the Shebekino neighborhood non-stop. Eight people were wounded. No casualties have been reported so far," he said.
Residents of Shebekino and adjacent villages are at risk, and authorities in local neighborhoods and towns are currently busy taking people away, Gladkov added. He pledged efforts to arrange an emergency evacuation, if need be.
Meanwhile, the operational headquarters in the Belgorod Region denied social media reports about a Ukrainian breakthrough near Shebekino.
Officials at "the operational headquarters officially confirm that this information is false and does not correspond to reality," the headquarters said in a statement.
According to the HQ officials, fake reports alleging that Ukrainian troops had broken into the area near Shebekino last night were posted on several Telegram channels. "We call on residents of the Belgorod Region to stay calm and vigilant and trust official or verified reports only," the statement reads.