Moscow threatens Kiev with "punishment"
Several people, including children, are killed in an airstrike on the Russian border region of Belgorod. Russia, which is waging a devastating war of aggression against Ukraine, speaks of "terror" that will not go "unpunished" and calls for a special session of the UN Security Council.
According to Russian reports, at least 14 people were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian border region of Belgorod. Two children are said to be among the dead. In addition, 108 people, including 15 children, were injured by the shelling, Russia's civil defense agency announced on Telegram.
The information could not initially be independently verified. There was no official reaction from Kiev for the time being.
Meanwhile, Russia, which has been waging a devastating war of aggression against Ukraine for almost two years with numerous deaths and massive destruction, has threatened consequences. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced via Telegram that the Ukrainian attack would not go "unpunished". At the same time, it said that "most" of the missiles fired by Ukraine at Belgorod had been intercepted.
Russia blames the EU and the UK
Russian Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also spoke out. "The terrorist attack on Belgorod will be the subject of proceedings in the UN Security Council," she said. At the same time, she accused the European Union and Great Britain of complicity in the attack. "Behind the terrorist attack is Great Britain, which, in coordination with the USA, is inciting the Kiev regime to terrorist actions, as it has recognized that the Ukrainian armed forces' counter-offensive has failed," Zakharova was further quoted as saying by the Russian state agency Tass.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in turn told Tass that President Vladimir Putin had been "informed about the attack by the Ukrainian armed forces on residential areas in Belgorod". According to the Interfax agency, Peskov also told journalists that Putin had instructed Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to fly to Belgorod with a team.
In the meantime, people in Belgorod had been called upon to hide in shelters. At the same time, there were complaints from local residents that several air-raid shelters were apparently sealed off and therefore inaccessible. Videos were also circulating on social networks showing numerous columns of smoke, burning cars and damaged house facades. Some recordings also showed the sound of explosions and people screaming.
At least 39 dead in Ukraine
According to media reports, this was the heaviest shelling of Belgorod since Russia invaded Ukraine almost two years ago. Belgorod is located in the border region and is therefore repeatedly affected by the fighting. However, the damage and casualty figures are generally disproportionate to those in Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia.
It was only on Friday night that Russia launched its heaviest attack to date on the neighboring country. According to Ukrainian reports, at least 39 people were killed.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
The attack on Ukraine, as Russia sees it, is likely to be a topic of discussion in the upcoming UN Security Council session, with Russian Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing the EU and the UK of complicity. This comes in the wake of reported Ukrainian missile attacks on the Russian border region of Belgorod, where at least 14 people, including two children, have been killed and 108 injured.
Source: www.ntv.de
