Russia** Putin announced that Russia will step up its retaliation against Ukraine after the Belgorod shelling, but stressed that Moscow is only targeting military targets.
According to RIA Novosti, AFP and others on January 1, Putin accused Kyiv of "wanting to intimidate and destabilize by attacking civilians" on the same day, insisting that Russia has the ability to carry out strong retaliatory actions against Ukrainian attacks on cities in the country.
However, Putin stressed that the Russian side targets only enemy military facilities. "We will use high-precision ** strikes at decision-making centers, troop assembly points, mercenaries and sensitive military targets," he said during an inspection of the Vishnevsky military hospital in Moscow and a visit to wounded soldiers. ”
Putin** also referred to the country's retaliatory strike on the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine on December 31, 2023. "We have and will intensify our attacks and cannot ignore the crimes committed against civilians," Putin said. ”
Ukraine has not yet commented on this information.
Russia's Defense Ministry on December 30 accused Ukraine of attacking Belgorod, a city with the same name as the province, near the border, using two alder rockets with cluster warheads, as well as multiple rockets fired from a Czech-made vampire system.
A source familiar with the investigation told TASS that rockets deployed by Ukraine in Kharkiv province hit Cathedral Square, shopping centers, cars and houses on the road in the center of Belgorod. According to Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, 24 people were killed in the incident, including two children, and 131 were injured.
The Russian military then announced a precision missile strike on a hotel in Kharkiv. Moscow claims that it is the residence of members of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service (GUR) who planned and carried out the attack on the city of Belgorod, including about 200 "foreign mercenaries" who were preparing to attack Russian territory.
Wen Liang Ishikawa.