This afternoon several explosions shook the heart of Belgorod, Russia. Fires broke out in the streets and cars burned, according to video and photographic material circulating on Russian Telegram channels.
The publication Meduza reports that, according to local residents, it was the heaviest bombing since the beginning of the war. According to reports, in the afternoon projectiles fell in the area of the Belgorod department store, the Dynamo sports complex and the Christmas market. The National Technical University building and the public ice rink were reportedly hit.
Oblast governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said around 2.30pm that it was an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces. According to him, there have been reports of deaths and injuries. “Real estate has been hit. Full details to come later.”
An air raid siren rang throughout the city. “All residents should take shelter. The danger remains,” Gladkov added.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry later said that at least nine adults and one child had been killed and 45 others wounded, including four children, in the attacks in the Belgorod region.
In the afternoon, local media also reported Russian air defense activity in the heart of Belgorod.
According to authorities, more than 40 buildings and 60 vehicles, including two buses, were damaged in the attacks.
In the afternoon, the Russian Emergencies Ministry also sent a message warning local residents about the attack, urging them to turn off gas and water, take essential goods and head for shelter.
Terrified citizens rushed to bomb shelters, but as a local Telegram post shows, it may have been in vain. The inhabitants of Belgorod could not open the door of at least one of these official shelters due to the air raid alert.
Ukrainian media reported, citing security service sources, that the attack was a response to the massive attack on Ukrainian cities the day before. The RBK-Ukraine publication writes that the attack was carried out by the security and defense forces of Ukraine. However, sources emphasize that today’s attack was carried out against military targets.
“The strikes against civilian infrastructure that we observe in Belgorod are the result of unprofessional actions of Russian air defenses, as well as deliberate and planned provocations,” the sources told Ukrainskaya Pravda.
A restless night in Russia
Reports of explosions in the Belgorod region began arriving before dawn.
The governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced the operation of the air defense system in the regional center and its surroundings at night. According to him, a residential building was also hit, where one person died and several others were injured.
A total of 10 buildings were hit after the overnight airstrike, the governor said. The Russian Telegram channel Baza wrote in the morning that residents of Belgorod heard dozens of explosions during the night.
The Russian Defense Ministry also announced that 13 rockets were destroyed over the region during the night.
The Ukrainian side has not yet commented on what happened in Belgorod.
However, today’s attacks were not limited to Belgorod. Russian air defense also operated at night in the Bryansk, Orlov, Kursk and Moscow regions, where at least 32 Ukrainian attack drones were shot down, according to authorities.
According to Russian media, the Kremnyi military electronics factory was also hit by a drone attack in the Bryansk region. It is one of the largest microelectronics companies in Russia which, among other things, produces parts and accessories for the Pantsir air defense systems and Iskander missile systems.
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2023-12-30 13:29:40
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