15 killed in Ukrainian missile strike in Russia's8k8 vip login Belgorod

At least 15 people were killed and scores injured on Sunday when a section of a Russian apartment block collapsed after being struck by fragments of a Soviet-era missile, launched by Ukraine and shot down by Russia, Russian officials said.

In one of the deadliest attacks to date in the Belgorod region, Ukraine launched what Russian officials said was a massive missile attack, involving Tochka ballistic missiles and Adler and RM-70 Vampire multiple-launch rocket systems. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had been briefed about the attack, which it said was "barbaric".

Footage from the scene showed at least 10 stories of the building collapsing.

Later, as emergency services scoured the rubble for survivors, the roof collapsed and people ran for their lives, dust and rubble falling behind them.

Russia's emergency ministry said on Monday that 15 people were killed when the building collapsed. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the region, said that four more people died on Sunday in separate attacks by Kyiv.

Russia's Defense Ministry said at least 12 missiles were involved in the Belgorod strikes, which it called a "terrorist attack on residential areas".

It came as Putin on Sunday proposed former first deputy prime minister Andrey Belousov as the new defense chief, succeeding Sergey Shoigu, who moves to the role as secretary of Russia's National Security Council.

The 65-year-old Belousov has held various positions, including assistant to the President on economic issues, minister of economic development, director of the department of economics and finance in the government apparatus, and general director of the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-term Forecasting.

In a separate decree, Putin appointed Shoigu, the defense minister since 2012, as the secretary of the National Security Council, replacing Nikolai Patrushev. The Kremlin said it will soon announce the new appointment for Patrushev.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Shoigu will also become deputy president of the Military-Industrial Commission.

Significant changes

The changes are the most significant Putin has made to the military command since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine began in February 2022.

Peskov said the change made sense because Russia was approaching a situation like the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s when the military and law enforcement authorities accounted for 7.4 percent of its GDP.

That, said Peskov, meant it was vital to ensure such spending aligned with and was better integrated into the country's overall economy, which was why Putin now wanted a civilian economist in the defense ministry.

"The one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield," Peskov said.

Belousov shares the Russian leader's vision of rebuilding a strong state. He has also worked with Putin's top technocrats who want greater innovation and are open to new ideas.

Putin's move preserves balance at the top of the system of personal loyalties that make up the current political system, Russian experts said.

Still, Putin left Alexander Bortnikov and Sergey Naryshkin, the chiefs of the Federal Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service, in their posts. Sergey Lavrov, the veteran foreign minister, will also stay in his job, the Kremlin added.