A Russian missile aimed at the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv fell short on Thursday, instead hitting a residential building in the Russian city of Belgorod, according to Ukrainian reports on the subject.
While Russia's state-controlled TASS News reported that the building was damaged "as a result of [Ukrainian] shelling," unconfirmed reports began to circulate that the damage had, in fact, been caused by a Russian missile misfiring.
Seemingly confirming the validity of the reports, chief advisor to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mikhail Podolyan tweeted a statement saying that "Russia wanted to hit Kharkiv with a missile, but something went wrong. The rocket hit a residential building in Belgorod, Russia. Do you think there will be an investigation, that the guilty will be punished? No, Putin doesn't care who he kills: Ukrainians or Russians."
"propagandists will be quick to invent a fake explanation," he added.
Several videos have been shared on Twitter in which a missile can be seen striking a building close to its apparent launch point, although the validity of the videos has not yet been confirmed.
The region's governor has stated that the building was damaged by Ukrainian shelling, disputing the reports of a Russian missfire.
He said an apartment had been struck and shared a picture appearing to show rubble next to a partially collapsed portion of a building.
There has been no information about casualties or injuries, so far, he added. Belgorod is about 40 km (25 miles) away from the Ukrainian border.
Reuters could not independently verify the details of the incident. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
According to TASS News, the damaged residential building is 16 stories high and houses over 80 apartments and is located just a few kilometers out from the city center.
The top floor of the building was damaged by the missile, and two cars below were damaged by debris. The residents of the damaged building have been evacuated and will be placed in a hotel until it is safe to return to their homes.