Russian government condemned an attack with missiles over the city of Belgorod and requested a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Russia denounced “indiscriminate strikes” carried by Ukraine in the city of Belgorod, where 14 individuals, including two children, were reported dead and 108 others injured.
The alleged attacks, said to involve the use of cluster bombs, targeted the Russian provincial capital of Belgorod on Saturday. Russia has vowed to retaliate in response to these strikes.
An undisclosed source close to the Russian Investigative Committee, as cited by the Kommersant newspaper, stated that missiles originating from a multiple rocket launcher in Ukraine’s Kharkov region hit multiple locations in Belgorod.
These locations include a skating rink on Cathedral Square, a shopping center, residential buildings, and a car. At the time of this rephrasing, no official comment has been provided by Kyiv. However, sources from the Ukrainian news outlet RBC-Ukraine claim that Ukrainian forces struck military targets in Belgorod in response to a significant Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities the previous day.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, has announced that Russia has requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the incident. As a precautionary measure, air raid sirens were activated throughout the city, and the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, urged all residents to seek shelter.
The Belgorod region, which shares a border with northern Ukraine, has experienced shelling and drone attacks throughout the year. Russian authorities have consistently attributed these attacks to Ukraine.
In a Telegram post, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed, “Today, the Kyiv regime launched an indiscriminate combined strike on the city of Belgorod using two ‘Olkha’ missiles in a banned cluster configuration, as well as Czech-made Vampire rockets.” The Defense Ministry further stated, “This incident will not go unpunished.” Most of the rockets, including the ‘Olkha’ missiles, were reportedly intercepted, thereby preventing more significant casualties. However, fragments did fall within the city limits.
Images shared by RIA depict at least three vehicles on fire, while other online images show black smoke rising from the city. Witnesses reported seeing air defense missiles being launched into the sky, followed by explosions and subsequent blasts.
Russia, under the guise of a “special military operation,” invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Yesterday, Russia conducted its most extensive air attack of the war. Ukrainian officials claim that 39 civilians were killed and 159 wounded as a result of Russia’s firing of 158 missiles and deploying drones on various cities and towns across Ukraine.
Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, which also shares a border with Ukraine, stated that a child was killed in strikes on “civilian objects” in two villages. However, the exact timing of these attacks was not specified.
