The missile strikes have killed at least 21 and injured 111, according to the Russian officials
The immediate aftermath of the attack on Belgorod, Russia, December 30, 2023 © Emil Leegunov/Anadolu via Getty Images
The UN has condemned Ukraine’s deadly shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod. The statement came after Moscow accused Kiev of deliberately killing civilians.
“The attacks against civilian population and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately,” the office of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, as quoted by Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
At least 21 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in Ukrainian missile strikes on Belgorod on Saturday, according to local officials. The Russian Defense Ministry said that cluster munitions were used in the attack.
Russia requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Saturday. In his speech at the UN headquarters in New York, Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia claimed that US and UK “consultants” helped to plan the strikes on Belgorod. He warned that “organizers and perpetrators” of the attack “will be punished.”
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On Friday, Gueterres condemned “in the strongest terms” Russia’s large-scale strikes on targets in Kiev and several other Ukrainian regions. According to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, 39 people were killed and nearly 160 were injured.
The Russian Defense Ministry, however, issued a statement on Saturday saying that only “military facilities and infrastructure” were targeted in recent air raids. Russian officials also claimed that civilian death in Ukraine occurred due to the faulty work of Ukrainian air defense systems.
