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The day after a wave of massive Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory, Moscow is blaming Kiev for an attack on this Russian city near the border.
Published on 12/30/2023 7:40 a.m. Updated on 12/30/2023 7:13 p.m
Reading time: 1 min
The city of Belgorod, 40 km from the border with Ukraine, May 27, 2023. (OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP)
The toll is rising. At least 14 people died and 108 were injured in an attack by the Ukrainian army on Belgorod on Saturday, December 30, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. The ministry said on Telegram that 15 children were among the injured in this town on the border with Ukraine. “According to the latest information, twelve adults and two children died in Belgorod,” he explained.
Images released by authorities show burning cars and buildings with broken windows. According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the city's water supply system was also damaged.
For its part, the Ministry of Defense emphasized that anti-aircraft systems over this region had destroyed 13 missiles. He said a total of 32 Ukrainian drones were neutralized near Moscow and in the Bryansk, Kursk and Orel sectors north of the Ukrainian border.
A meeting of the UN Security Council
“President Vladimir Putin was informed about the attack by the Ukrainian army on residential areas of Belgorod,” the Kremlin spokesman said, citing Russian authorities. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that this attack would not go “unpunished.” He also assured that he managed to intercept two missiles and “most” of those fired against the city.
Russia has requested a UN Security Council meeting over the attack. He accepted it. “Today (…) a meeting of the UN Security Council on the attacks on Belgorod will take place at Russia's request,” announced the Russian mission to the United Nations. The information was confirmed to AFP by two council members. The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. Paris time.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Belgorod is 80 km north of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which was heavily hit by Russian forces on Friday morning. At least 30 people were killed and more than 160 injured in a large series of attacks across the country in Ukraine on Friday, Kiev said.