Russia threatens "punishment" after attack on Belgorod with 14 dead
In Belgorod, "twelve adults and two children were killed", explained the Russian Ministry of Civil Protection. Among the 108 injured were 15 children. Video footage, the authenticity of which could not initially be verified, showed streets strewn with debris and clouds of smoke rising from burnt-out cars in the center of Belgorod. A heavy explosion could be heard on dashcam footage published on online networks.
AFP was initially unable to verify the circumstances of the attack - one of the deadliest on Russian soil since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Russian sources, Vilkha guided missiles and Czech-made missiles were used in the attack. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, "most" of the missiles aimed at the city were intercepted. However, several missiles and debris hit Belgorod.
The Ukrainian side did not initially comment on the allegations.
Russia requested a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the deadly attack on Belgorod. It was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. New York time (10 p.m. CET), according to the Russian UN representation. Three other security members confirmed the meeting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had been "informed about the attack by Ukrainian forces on residential areas in Belgorod", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Tass news agency.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, which has repeatedly criticized Western arms supplies to Ukraine, accused the USA and Great Britain of "inciting the regime in Kiev to commit terrorist acts".
The Russian city of Belgorod is located around 30 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. A child was also killed by Ukrainian shelling in the border region of Bryansk, as the local governor Alexander Bogomas reported online.
Both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi were due to give New Year's speeches on Sunday - at the end of the year in which the Ukrainian counter-offensive failed and the course of the front has hardly changed.
On Saturday, Zelenskyi wrote online about the wave of attacks on Friday as a "terrorist attack" on his country, in which 39 people have been killed and more than a hundred injured so far. Across the country, "almost 120 towns and villages have been affected", Selensky explained. "The work to eliminate the consequences of yesterday's Russian attack is still ongoing."
According to the city administration, 16 people died in the attacks in the capital Kiev alone. Bodies were still being recovered from the rubble on Saturday. Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared January 1 a day of mourning.
According to Ukrainian reports, schools, a maternity clinic, shopping centers and residential buildings were hit on Friday in one of the heaviest waves of Russian attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war. In its daily situation report, the Russian army stated that it had carried out "50 group attacks and one massive attack" between December 23 and 29. "All targets" had been hit.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russia deployed 158 drones and missiles. 144 of these were destroyed. This was a "record number" of missiles, said air force spokesman Yuri Ignat. Apart from the first days of the war in February 2022, these were the "most massive attacks" on Ukraine to date.
According to the authorities, three people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine on Saturday in the Kherson, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv regions. In Kharkiv in the north-east, 16 people were injured in an attack, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. According to public prosecutor Oleksandr Filchakov, a foreign journalist was among the injured. According to the Ministry of the Interior, he was British.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden appealed to Congress to swiftly approve further aid for Ukraine in the new year. "If Congress does not act urgently in the new year, we will not be able to continue to provide the weapons and vital air defense systems that Ukraine needs to protect its people," said Biden. Congress must "act, and act without further delay".
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- Russia threatened "punishment" towards Ukraine in response to the deadly attack on Belgorod with 14 fatalities.
- The attack on Belgorod, one of the deadliest on Russian soil since 2022, resulted in 12 adult and 2 child deaths, as per the Russian Ministry of Civil Protection.
- The UN Security Council scheduled a meeting to discuss the attack on Belgord, requested by Russia, which is expected to commence at 4 p.m. New York time.
- Vladimir Putin was informed about the attack on residential areas in Belgorod by Ukrainian forces, according to Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the USA and Great Britain of inciting the Kiev regime to commit terrorist acts following the attack on Belgorod.
- In the midst of giving their New Year's speeches, both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi faced this wave of attacks.
- Amidst the ongoing cleanup efforts, Zelenskyi referred to the attacks on Friday as a "terrorist attack" on his country, causing 39 deaths and injuries.
- The Russian city of Belgorod, located near the Ukrainian border, experienced damage to several infrastructure facilities, including schools, a maternity clinic, shopping centers, and residential buildings, according to Ukrainian reports.
- Despite various attacks on Ukraine, the Ukrainian army has apparently destroyed 144 of the 158 missiles and drones deployed by Russia incoming the past week, as reported by air force spokesman Yuri Ignat.
- In the midst of the ongoing conflict, the US President Joe Biden urged Congress to swiftly approve additional aid for Ukraine, as the country battles against these persistent attacks and destruction.
Source: www.stern.de
