Russia responds to shelling of Belgorod with drone strikes on Kharkiv
Russia holds Ukraine responsible for the attack on the Russian city of Belgorod on Saturday, but Ukraine initially remained silent on the accusation. According to a new report published by regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Sunday, 24 people were killed and 108 others injured in the bombing in Belgorod.
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow subsequently threatened that the attack would not go "unpunished". According to Russian reports, cluster munitions were also used in the shelling. Among other things, a sports center and a university were hit. The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, spoke on Saturday at a UN Security Council meeting requested by Russia of a "deliberate, indiscriminate attack against a civilian target".
"In response to this terrorist act, the Russian army shelled decision-making centers and military facilities (in Ukraine)," the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. According to the statement, the attacks took place in Kharkiv.
Kharkiv's mayor Ihor Terekhov assured on the messaging service Telegram that the targets of the attacks were "not military facilities, but cafés, residential buildings and offices". "On the eve of the New Year, the Russians want to intimidate our city, but we are not afraid," Terekhov emphasized.
According to regional governor Oleg Sinegubov, 28 civilians were injured, including two young people and a foreigner. Hospitals and a hotel were also among the targets of the attack. According to the public prosecutor's office, one of the injured was a Briton who worked as a security consultant for a group of German journalists.
The Russian side said that a "former hotel complex" had been shelled. However, this had since been used by members of Ukrainian military intelligence and the army, who were involved in the attack on Belgorod. "Foreign mercenaries" are also stationed there.
Russian attacks using dozens of drones were also reported from other Ukrainian locations. 21 of the 49 Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down, the Ukrainian air defense announced on Telegram.
The Russian attacks were directed against "the front line of defense as well as civilian, military and infrastructure facilities". The regions around Kharkiv as well as Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia in south-eastern Ukraine were particularly affected. Six guided missiles were also fired at Kharkiv, it added.
Before the attack on the Russian city of Belgorod in the border region, Ukraine had been hit by one of the heaviest waves of Russian attacks. According to Ukrainian sources, around 40 people were killed on Friday. Ukraine accuses Russia of hitting a maternity clinic, stores and homes, among other things.
According to local authorities, emergency services were still searching through the rubble when new attacks were carried out on Kherson, Zaporizhzhya and Chernihiv. According to new information, at least 23 people were killed in the attacks in the capital Kiev alone on Friday.
In view of the ongoing attacks, Ukraine is calling for more support from the West. "Next year will be a time of many decisions - global decisions," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in his evening address on Saturday. "And Ukraine must be able to influence them in order to be able to achieve its goals."
The head of state added: "We will fight for our influence, for justice for Ukraine, and I am grateful to all those leaders who have been helping us since February 24 (2022) and will stand by our side in 2024."
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- The Russian Defense Ministry reacted to Ukraine's alleged involvement in the bombardment of Belgorod by promising to strike decision-making centers and military facilities in Ukraine.
- The messenger service Telegram was used by Kharkiv's mayor Igor Terekhov to assure residents that the targets of the Russian attacks were not military facilities, but cafés, residential buildings, and offices.
- From Russia, Ambassador Vasily Nebensia spoke at a UN Security Council meeting, condemning what he called a "deliberate, indiscriminate attack" against civilians in Belgorod.
- With cluster munitions, the Russian attack on Belgorod reportedly resulted in the deaths of 24 people and injuries to 108 others, as stated by regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
- Ukraine initially remained silent on Russia's accusation of responsibility for the bombardment of Belgorod, but regional governor Oleg Sinegubov later confirmed that 28 civilians were injured, including two young people and a foreigner, in the attack on Kharkiv.
- Following the bombardment of Belgorod, the Russian army responded by shelling decision-making centers and military facilities in Ukraine's Kharkiv, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
- On Sunday, Ukraine announced that it had shot down 21 of 49 Iranian-made Shahed drones during Russian attacks on various Ukrainian locations, using dozens of drones altogether.
- According to local authorities, emergency services were still searching through the rubble of the attacked cities when new attacks were carried out in Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, and Chernihiv, leading to additional casualties.
- From the UN, the United Nations Security Council is calling for an investigation into the shelling of Belgorod and the subsequent drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, such as Kharkiv.
- According to reports, Wassili Nebensia, the Russian ambassador to the UN, has also been involved in discussions regarding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine at the United Nations Security Council.
Source: www.stern.de
