BELGOROD, Russia – In a devastating escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, at least 14 people, including two children, were killed in a shelling attack on the Russian city of Belgorod on Saturday, December 30, 2023.
The Russian emergencies ministry confirmed the casualties, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the region since the conflict’s escalation.
The attack on Belgorod, described as “massive” by Russian state news agency TASS, targeted the city’s downtown area.
This tragic event follows Russia’s largest air attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, which resulted in at least 39 deaths and over 150 injuries.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian territories near the border have been a near-daily occurrence for over a year, occasionally resulting in civilian casualties. However, the Belgorod incident stands out due to its high death toll.
In response to the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed and has dispatched a team of health ministry and emergencies ministry responders to aid those affected in Belgorod.
The shelling has reportedly damaged about 40 civilian facilities in the city, causing 10 fires, all of which have been extinguished.
The Governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported additional shelling on Friday night, which resulted in one civilian death and injuries to four others, including a child.
A similar incident in Russia’s Bryansk region led to the death of a child, as stated by the region’s Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz.
In retaliation, Russia’s defense ministry claimed to have destroyed 32 Ukrainian UAVs over the regions of Bryansk, Oryol, Mursk, and Moscow, according to their Telegram post on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has maintained silence regarding these incidents, seldom acknowledging responsibility for attacks on Russian soil.
In Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, the aftermath of Russia’s extensive drone and missile strikes continues to unfold.
The strikes, which targeted schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades, and residential blocks, have prompted widespread international condemnation.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported the death toll in the capital rising to at least 16, following the recovery of more bodies from a warehouse’s rubble. Klitschko announced January 1 as a Day of Mourning in Kyiv.
Amid these attacks, Poland’s military authorities reported a brief intrusion into its airspace by an “unidentified airborne object.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed continued vigilance over the incident, with Russia stating it would withhold any explanation “until concrete evidence is presented.”
As the conflict intensifies, the international community watches with heightened concern, fearing further escalation in a war that has already brought untold suffering to countless civilians.
