The strike on Saturday by Ukrainian forces on Belgorod is the “worst” since the start of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post. The attack killed 20 people, the Russian Emergencies Ministry reported.
The shelling also left a total of 111 people injured, the ministry said. The material damage sustained by the city in the strike is still being assessed, Gladkov said, adding that additional public servants from nearby towns had been engaged to speed up this process.
The strike damaged more than 100 vehicles, most of which were “totally destroyed” or burnt, according to Gladkov. A large number of commercial facilities, including shops, stores and malls, were damaged as well, he added. Some gas and water supply systems in the city were also hit, according to the governor.
🚨 RUSSIA'S OWN FALSE FLAG ATTACK ON BELGOROD:
After shelling Belgorod, Russia botched the cover up and claimed the attacks were conducted by BM-21 Grad equivalent 122mm RM-70 MLRS, which has a range of 20-25km. Yet, strikes occurred more than 35km from the border with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/34ZcZ3PXng— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) December 30, 2023
The regional authorities decided to cancel all public gatherings and festivities in all territories bordering Ukraine, as well as in the city of Belgorod itself, which is located some 40km away from the border, Gladkov said. The governor also informed President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin about the incident and its aftermath.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said that the attack on the city involved the use of cluster munitions. Such weapons comprise dozens of small submunitions that can be scattered over a large area by an initial detonation, which can then also explode, causing a large number of smaller secondary blasts. More than 110 nations banned them under a UN convention in 2008 due to their grave danger to civilians.
According to the ministry, the Ukrainian military equipped the missiles of its Olkha multiple rocket launcher with cluster bomb warheads before firing them at Belgorod. Russian air defense forces managed to intercept most of the projectiles but some still struck the city. Had all of them reached their target, the consequences would have been “immeasurably more severe,” the ministry added.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!, Oh crap, Biden just opened his mouth and :poop: came out again, I guess forget that happy part in HAPPY NEW YEAR! :disappointed_relieved: