Authorities count 25 dead
Putin announces retaliation for Belgorod shelling
January 1, 2024, 4:28 p.m
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On Friday, Ukraine experienced one of the heaviest Russian air strikes since the start of the war. A day later, explosions also occurred in the Russian border region of Belgorod. Kremlin leader Putin speaks of an “act of terrorism” and announces a reaction.
A few days after the shelling of the Russian border region of Belgorod with more than 20 deaths, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin announced further attacks against neighboring Ukraine. “Surely you noticed that literally the next day such attacks were carried out,” he said at a meeting with injured Russian soldiers at a Moscow military hospital on New Year’s Day. “And today, as far as I know, some are being carried out and we will do the same tomorrow.”
In his first reaction to the shelling of Belgorod last Saturday, Putin also spoke of an “act of terrorism” by the Ukrainian army. However, in his appearance, which was broadcast by state media, Putin did not mention that this attack was preceded by the worst wave of Russian attacks against Ukraine since the beginning of the war. According to Ukrainian information, more than 45 people died last Friday – also because residential areas came under fire in many places. Nevertheless, at his meeting with the soldiers, Putin repeated the common Russian propaganda claim that his own army supposedly only targets military objects in Ukraine.
The Russian authorities revised the number of victims upwards to 25. According to the local governor, a four-year-old girl died as a result of her injuries. With more than 100 additional people injured as a result of the attack on Belgorod, Russia itself suffered such a high number of civilian casualties for the first time in its war of aggression against Ukraine, which has already lasted around two years. However, this still bears no relation to the number of victims in Ukraine. The background to the shelling of Belgorod remains unclear. There was no official reaction from Kiev.
Some Ukrainian media, citing intelligence sources, wrote that Russian air defense may not have worked accurately. There were also numerous complaints from Belgorod citizens that bomb shelters were locked during the attack and therefore inaccessible. The city, about 30 kilometers from Ukraine, has come under attack several times since the war began in February 2022, targeting military depots or fuel tanks.