**: China News Network.
China News Service Moscow, December 31 (Xinhua) -- Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod region, said on the 31st that the death toll in the air strike on Belgorod by Ukraine has reached 22 and another 109 people were injured.
Gladkov said on his social ** account on the 31st that one of the injured in the attack on the city of Belgorod died in the hospital in the early hours of the morning, bringing the death toll to 22. Of the 109 injured, 25 are in serious condition and have been transferred to federal hospitals. In addition, 30 apartment buildings, 381 homes, several private homes and a large number of cars were damaged in the city, and the restoration work will continue today.
The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement on the 30th, saying that the Ukrainian armed forces used "Alder" multiple rocket launchers and "Vampire" multiple rocket launchers equipped with banned cluster warheads to strike at the city of Belgorod on the 30th. Most of the rockets fired were intercepted by Russian air defense systems. Several rockets and intercepted "Aspen" cluster warheads hit the city of Belgorod. **The Ministry of Defense stressed that the attack on Belgorod will be punished "severely."
According to news from Russia on the 30th, after hearing the report of the attack on Belgorod, Putin instructed the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Emergency Situations to send a working group to Belgorod to help the victims.
The city of Belgorod is the capital of Belgorod Oblast. Belgorod Oblast is located in the southern part of the European part of Russia, and its southern and western borders with Ukraine. (ENDS).