At 3 a.m. on the night of July 2-3, residents of the Belgorod region of Russia saw and heard on their soil what was strongly reminiscent of the effects of war, and not a simple “special operation” being conducted on the territory became of the neighboring country. Since February 24, this region of southern Russia, bordering Ukraine’s Kharkiv, has already been the target of bombing – hitting military targets, refineries and sometimes isolated homes.
Nothing compares to that night of July 3, at the end of which the governor counted eleven residential buildings and thirty-nine houses damaged in the heart of the city of Belgorod. Four people were killed: a Russian national and three members of a Ukrainian family from Kharkiv who had sought refuge with relatives since the conflict began.
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According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the city of 370,000 was “knowingly” attacked by three Totchka-U missiles with cluster munitions. These missiles were reportedly shot down by Russian anti-aircraft defenses. “After the destruction of the Ukrainian missiles, the remains of one of them fell on a house in the city,” said military spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
However, on videos released by local media early in the morning, we can see at least one powerful explosion, the magnitude of which does not match the simple debris hit. The Russian side also claims to have shot down two Ukrainian TU-143 drones “loaded with explosives” in the direction of the city of Kursk, also near the Ukrainian border.
Disturbing Event
As usual, the Ukrainian army did not comment on these allegations, but military experts in Kyiv questioned this version, citing missiles sent from Russia and shot down by Russia’s own anti-aircraft defenses. This statement is supported by explosions in the Kharkiv region immediately after those in Belgorod.
Rather, analysts at the Conflict Intelligence Team, an organization set up by independent Russian investigators, conjure up Ukrainian attacks on military targets that would have deflected Russian defense systems from their trajectory.
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In any case, the incident is embarrassing and does not fit with the notion of a “military special operation” which, more than four months after its launch, “is proceeding according to plan,” as Vladimir Putin reiterated last week. In Moscow, officials appeared to be waving the usual threats of reprisals or “revenge” without really responding. Even more surprising was the reaction of the bishop of Belgorod, who called for prayer to end “the bloodbath in Ukraine”.
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