Belgorod strikes will not go unpunished, Moscow says

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out “indiscriminate” strikes on the city of Belgorod, in which Moscow says 20 people were killed, including two children, and 111 injured.

Two Vilkha missiles and Czech-made rockets were used in the attack, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. “This crime will not go unpunished,” it added.

Belgorod, about 30km from the border, has suffered shelling and drone attacks throughout the year, which authorities have blamed on Ukraine.

Kyiv rarely claims responsibility for the strikes, which come as Russia continues its almost two-year invasion of its neighbour, during which cities across Ukraine have been hit by regular shelling.

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a residential area had been hit, and urged residents to go to air raid shelters.

Images posted by the staterun RIA news agency showed at least three cars on fire, and other images posted online showed black smoke rising from the city.

Two residents told Reuters they had seen air defence missiles rising into the sky, followed by explosions in the air and then louder blasts.

The Kommersant newspaper cited a source as saying missiles fired from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region had hit an ice rink in Belgorod’s central Cathedral Square, a shopping centre, tower blocks and a car.

The RBC-Ukraine news outlet quoted sources as saying Ukrainian forces had struck military targets in Belgorod in response to Russian shelling of its cities on Friday.

Hours after the attack on Belgorod,

Ukrainian authorities said two Russian S-300 missiles had hit the centre of Kharkiv and injured 21 people, including at least two children.

One missile hit the Kharkiv Palace Hotel, while another hit a block of flats. Officials said a hospital and other civilian infrastructure were also damaged.

The strike on Belgorod came a day after Russian forces launched a barrage of air strikes across Ukraine in one of the deadliest attacks of the war.

Ukraine’s military estimated Russia launched 158 missiles and Iranian-made Shahed drones at Ukraine on Friday, of which 114 were destroyed.

At least 39 people were killed in the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

“Work is still under way to eliminate the consequences of yesterday’s Russian attack,” He said. “In total, 159 people were injured in this terrorist attack. Unfortunately, 39 of them have been killed so far.”

Today was declared a day of mourning in the capital Kyiv, where at least 16 people were killed, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.