Air defenses in Russia's Belgorod Oblast allegedly shot down 10 targets on the evening of Jan. 8, and three people were wounded by falling debris, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed.
Several buildings and cars were also damaged, he said.
A Dec. 30 strike on Belgorod, which lies about 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, killed 25 people and injured over 100, according to the Russian authorities. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these figures.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the strike, which came one day after Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Kyiv.
Gladkov said on Jan. 5 that Russia had begun moving residents out of Belgorod due to safety concerns.
Several Ukrainian media outlets reported that Ukrainian forces struck military facilities in Belgorod on Dec. 30 in response to the attacks. The reports cited anonymous sources in Ukraine's special services, who said that debris from anti-air munitions fell in the Belgorod city center "due to the unprofessional actions of the Russian air defense."
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.
A representative of the French Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 3 that Russia "bears full responsibility" for the casualties of the Belgorod strike.
"Russia can put an end to this conflict and the human tragedies that accompany it, for which it bears full responsibility," the official said.
Alexander Query
