News Feed

Russia claims it shot down ballistic missile over Belgorod Oblast

1 min read
Russia claims it shot down ballistic missile over Belgorod Oblast
Soviet made tactical ballistic missile complexes Tochka (Point) during a military parade in Kyiv on Aug. 24, 2016 to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day. (Archive photo) (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defense working in Russia's western Belgorod Oblast shot down a Tochka-U ballistic missile in the early morning of Dec. 12.

It said that the missile was destroyed, but did not comment on if it or subsequent debris caused any damage.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, said that air defense had shot down a "target" near the village of Bessonovka, about 30 kilometers from the city of Belgorod and close to 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Kyiv did not comment on the claim, and it cannot be independently verified.

Drones and missiles have targeted Russian territory intermittently since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Ukraine usually does not comment on the strikes, which have reached as far as Moscow.

‘We can’t wait for peace:’ Reluctant at first, Denmark takes on rebuilding war-torn Mykolaiv Oblast
When President Volodymyr Zelensky announced to the Danish Parliament last March that Ukraine wanted the Nordic country to rebuild the war-torn southern Mykolaiv Oblast, it was the first the Danes had heard of it. Not only was the president’s plan to assign Ukrainian regions to allied countries for…
Article image
Avatar
Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Read more
News Feed

"It is legitimate and lawful for China to conduct normal economic, trade and energy cooperation with all countries around the world, including Russia," China's Foreign Ministry said in response to question about Russian oil purchases posed by Bloomberg. "We will continue to adopt reasonable energy security measures in accordance with our national interests."

"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that "further details will follow."

Show More