the death toll from the strike in Belgorod rises to 14 dead and 108 injured

The day after a wave of massive Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory, Moscow blames kyiv for a strike on this Russian town located not far from the border.

The toll continues to rise. Fourteen people died and 108 were injured during an attack by the Ukrainian army on Belgorod on Saturday, December 30, said the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, the day after massive strikes on Ukraine. Among the injured to be deploredIn this town adjoining the Ukrainian border, there are fifteen children, the ministry said on Telegram. “According to the latest information, 12 adults and two children died in Belgorod,” he added.

Images, published by the authorities, show cars on fire and buildings with broken windows. According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the city’s water supply system was also damaged. The Ministry of Defense, for its part, stressed that anti-aircraft defense systems had destroyed 13 missiles over this region. He said a total of 32 Ukrainian drones had been neutralized near Moscow, as well as in the Bryansk, Kursk and Orel sectors, north of the Ukrainian border.

A strike that will not go “unpunished”

“President Vladimir Putin was informed of the attack by the Ukrainian army on residential areas of Belgorod”, declared the Kremlin spokesperson, quoted by Russian agencies. In response, the Russian Defense Ministry warned on Telegram that this strike would not remain “unpunished”. He also assured that he had succeeded in intercepting two missiles and the “mostly” rockets launched against the city.

Belgorod is 80 km north of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which was heavily hit by Russian forces on Friday morning, according to Ukrainian authorities. In total, at least 30 people were killed and more than 160 injured in Ukraine on Friday in a large series of strikes across the country, according to kyiv.