24 dead and 100 wounded reported after attack on Belgorod

What Belgorod authorities claim

The governor of Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported that the Ukrainian armed forces allegedly struck the downtown of Belgorod and hit the residential sector.

"A missile warning siren has been activated in the city. All residents must go to the shelter. The danger remains," Gladkov wrote.

Local Telegram channels are posting videos and photos showing fires, smoke and infrastructure damage.

The governor reported that two children had allegedly been killed in the attack on the city, and that there were also injuries. Subsequently, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti clarified the information from the Russian Emergencies Ministry that 14 people, including 2 children, were allegedly killed and 108 people, including 15 children, were injured.

According to Gladkov, as of the morning of December 31, the death toll from the attack on the city increased to 22. One of the victims allegedly died at night in a hospital. In addition, he reported 109 wounded, of whom 25 seriously wounded will be transported to federal clinics. 

Later, the casualty toll increased to 24 people, according to the governor. 

"Forensic experts have determined that there is one more dead child. Another wounded man died in the hospital without regaining consciousness," he wrote in a telegram.

What Ukrainian intelligence reported

Suspilne reported that a source in the special services confirmed that the Ukrainian forces had attacked military facilities in Belgorod, Russia. They clarified that this was a response to Russian attacks on Ukraine.

An intelligence source also confirmed the information to RBC-Ukraine.

"These are joint measures that resulted from the barbaric shelling of Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa and the killing of civilians. The events are ongoing," the source said.

Later, a source in the special services told Ukrainska Pravda that the damage to civilian infrastructure and the fires in Belgorod were caused by unprofessional actions of the Russian air defense, as well as deliberate and planned provocations.

Statement of the Russian Defense Ministry

The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly launched an indiscriminate combined strike on Belgorod with two Vilkha missiles with banned cluster munitions and Czech-made Vampire MLRS rockets.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that its air defense intercepted the Vilkha missiles and most of the Vampire missiles, but several missiles and cluster parts from the downed missiles hit the city of Belgorod.

According to their estimates, as of 5 p.m., 12 adults and two children were killed and 108 people were injured.

• On December 29, Russia launched missiles to attack Ukraine, hitting high-rise buildings, educational institutions, a shopping centre and a maternity hospital. More than 150 people were wounded and 40 killed.