On August 14, 2025, Belgorod experienced one of the most intense drone attacks of the entire war. According to local residents, strikes had already begun the previous day, August 13, and by morning drones hit the regional administration building, an apartment block on Narodny Boulevard, a store in the Kreida area, the area near the Central Market, and the facade of the recently restored Belgorod Arena.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the city was attacked by 32 drones in a single day. Five people were injured: two on August 13 and three on August 14. In Belgorod, ten apartments, five private houses, and 13 cars were damaged. Across the wider region, officials said 230 drones and shells were launched, and 17 people were injured.
A resident named Vasilisa said that on her way to the city center she was reading alerts about UAV danger and monitoring-channel messages reporting a drone above Vatutin Avenue. She said drivers were getting out of their cars, fearing strikes on civilian vehicles.
“When they say a drone is over Vatutin Avenue, you do not know exactly where it is, you just have to keep looking at the sky,” Vasilisa said.
Another resident, Anastasia, said employees at her workplace were first moved away from windows and later told to go home. She heard explosions, bursts of automatic gunfire, and saw from the window the trace left by a downed drone. She said there was no panic in the city, but the center was blocked off and public transport was rerouted.
Because of the attacks, shopping centers, the theater, and the Interior Ministry office temporarily closed. Residents were advised not to go outside unless necessary. Vasilisa said calling a taxi was difficult because of a shortage of drivers, GPS failures, and connection problems, while fares were roughly twice the usual level.
The interviewees said the strikes continued almost without interruption throughout the day and felt worse than the usual missile alerts because they appeared to target civilian sites. According to Anastasia, many residents fear the attacks could resume on August 15.