Russia stated that 20 people were killed and 111 injured in indiscriminate Ukrainian strikes on the Russian provincial capital of Belgorod on Saturday and pledged retaliation.
Belgorod is located around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Ukrainian border and has been routinely attacked by what Russia claims is an indiscriminate bombardment by Kyiv’s forces.
Unverified footage showed rubble strewn across the roadway and smoke billowing from burnt-out cars in the city centre, while dashcam footage posted on social media revealed a big explosion.
According to the Kremlin, the incident has been presented to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian defence ministry warned that the attack would not go unpunished.
The incident took place as rescuers in Ukraine continued to comb amid the rubble on Saturday after Russian strikes killed at least 39 people the day before in one of the bloodiest attacks since the conflict’s inception.
Schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades and apartment blocks were among the structures destroyed in Friday’s attack, which drew international criticism.
Within hours of the Belgorod strike, Ukrainian authorities said two Russian S-300 missiles hit the centre of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, hurting 21 people including two teenagers aged 16 and 14.
One missile struck the Kharkiv Palace Hotel, while another struck an apartment building.
Authorities stated that a medical facility and other civilian infrastructure were also damaged.
According to Ukraine’s military, Russia launched 158 missiles and drones on Ukraine, with 114 of them being destroyed.
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