A military chaplain was killed by Ukrainian rocket fireSmertchon a Russian border village not far from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in the grip of heavy fighting, announced Friday March 25 the Orthodox Church.
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“The father (Oleg Artiomev) was yesterday (Thursday) evening in the village of Jouravliovka when he came under fire from Ukrainian Smerchs, dying in the line of dutysaid the Church’s military department. This is the first death on Russian territory following Ukrainian fire that has been made public since the start of the offensive in Ukraine.
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Jouravliovka, in the Russian region of Belgorod, is located just 2 km from the Ukrainian border and less than 30 km from Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, which the Russian army is trying to take. On March 23 and 24, Ukrainian shells had already fallen on Jouravliovka and the neighboring village of Nekhoteevka, destroying houses and cars without causing any casualties. In the process, 196 residents were evacuated, according to the public agency TASS.
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