Tragedy and tension: The Belgorod building collapses amid conflicting accounts
13 May 2024 06:53
Disaster in Belgorod
Social media photos show that one high-rise staircase was utterly destroyed while the others appear intact.
The regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, alleges that a "direct hit by a missile" caused the floors to collapse. Contrarily, the Russian Ministry of Defense contends that the building was not hit by a missile but was struck by fragments of a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile intercepted by air defence systems.
Different interpretations of the event
However, as the BBC noted, other theories are more popular on social networks. These include suggestions of an internal explosion or the "irregular landing" of ammunition from a Russian bomber, incidents that have allegedly occurred before.
Video of the explosion
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, highlights a camera video showing the explosion. He points out the absence of any falling objects, casting doubt on the Russian accusations of bombardment by Ukrainian Defense Forces.
He speculates that the building could have been intentionally blown up, as this incident might have been a provocation by Russia or an informational ploy aimed at escalating the situation to justify further attacks on residential areas in Ukrainian cities.