Russia Says 20 Dead, Over 100 Injured In Ukraine's 'Indiscriminate' Strikes Amid Fresh Escalation

Russia-Ukraine War: 20 people died while more than a hundred were injured in strikes by Ukrainian forces in the Russian city of Belgorod. The attack comes after Moscow launched its "largest" airstrikes on Ukraine.

Twenty people, including two children, lost their lives, and more than a hundred people sustained injuries in what Russia claims were "indiscriminate" strikes by Ukrainian forces on the provincial capital of Belgorod. The strikes, allegedly involving cluster bombs, occurred on Saturday, news agency Reuters reported. The Russian Investigative Committee revealed that missiles launched from a multiple rocket launcher in Ukraine's Kharkov region targeted various locations in Belgorod including central Cathedral Square, a skating rink, a shopping centre, residential buildings, and a car, Reuters cited Kommersant newspaper as reporting. 

Ukrainian security source told BBC that more than 70 drones had been launched against Russian targets, as a "response to Russia's terrorist attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians". The source blamed the "incompetent work of Russian air defence" for civilian casualties and said that this was what caused falling fragments.

No official statement has been released by Kyiv government so far however, RBC-Ukraine, a Ukrainian news outlet, quoted sources indicating that Ukrainian forces retaliated by targeting military installations in Belgorod in response to the intense Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities the preceding day.

After this attack, an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council was held in New York on Saturday at Russia's request. In the meeting, Russia's envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, accused Ukraine of carrying out a "deliberate, indiscriminate attack against a civilian target", as reported by the BBC. However, these remarks were refuted by Ukraine's allies. The French envoy said that Ukraine was defending itself under UN laws, whereas others including the US and UK said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was responsible for the deaths in Russia by starting the conflict.

As the air raid sirens blared across the city, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor, urged all residents to seek refuge in shelters. The Belgorod region, bordering northern Ukraine, has witnessed frequent shelling and drone attacks throughout the year, with Ukrainian forces often blamed by Russian authorities.

The Russian Defence Ministry condemned the attack, asserting that the Ukrainian regime deployed two 'Olkha' missiles in a banned cluster configuration, along with Czech-made Vampire rockets. In a Telegram post, the ministry declared, "This crime will not go unpunished," emphasising that most of the incoming rockets, including the 'Olkha' missiles, were successfully intercepted, preventing more significant casualties. Nevertheless, some fragments landed in the city, the report mentioned.

Images released by the state-run RIA news agency depicted at least three cars engulfed in flames, while other online sources displayed black smoke billowing over the beleaguered city.

Two Belgorod residents recounted witnessing air defence missiles ascending into the sky, followed by mid-air explosions and subsequent loud blasts, according to Reuters.

39 Dead In Russia 'Largest' Air Assault On Ukraine

This incident follows Russia's largest air assault since the commencement of the conflict in February 2022, with Ukrainian officials reporting 39 civilians killed and 159 wounded as a result of 158 missiles and drones unleashed on cities and towns across Ukraine, the report stated.

Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Bryansk region adjoining Ukraine, confirmed on Saturday that a child had been killed in strikes on "civilian objects" in two villages, without specifying the exact timing of the attacks. 

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