We detailed earlier that Ukraine's major cross-border drone and missile attack on the Russian city of Belgorod Saturday was unprecedented in number of projectiles launched within a short period of time on a heavily populated area.
The death toll has since been revised upward from 14 to at least 18 deaths, including reports that two were children. An update by the defense ministry on Telegram said that 111 people had been wounded, which included explosives hitting a popular Christmas marketplace.
President Putin was briefed earlier in the day, as the Russians are seeing in it a major attack coming from a desperate Ukrainian military which is now generally recognized to be losing the war. Ukrainian media sources indicated at least 70 drones and rockets were launched into Russia.
The Kremlin is now calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council for later in the day Saturday, after condemning what it has described as a brazen terroristic attack targeting civilians.
"We have requested an UNSC meeting on Belgorod at 3:00 p.m. New York time (8:00 p.m. GMT) today, December 30. We also demanded that the Czech permanent representative be present to explain his country’s supplies of weapons, which are used to kill civilians," Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said.
Thus it appears the Russians are in possession of drone and missile debris pointing to weapons supplied by the West, and the Czech Republic in particular. Moscow is further threatening that the attack "will not go unpunished."
At the impending UNSC meeting, it's unlikely that Russia will get a sympathetic ear, considering its massive assault on Ukraine the day prior which killed at least 39 Ukrainians, reported to be mostly civilians.
Russia is outraged over Ukraine's targeting of central holiday attractions in Belgorod city...
According to reports, a missile struck the center of the Russian city of Belgorod, specifically targeting the skating rink. The majority of casualties, both fatalities and injuries, involve children https://t.co/LWsz9uX3QT pic.twitter.com/Z2UKJXDaOs
— Russian Market (@runews) December 30, 2023
The Ukrainian Armed Forces had cited that in the Russia's Friday assault, up to 158 missiles and drones were launched, describing that this was a "record number" and the "most massive missile attack" of the conflict, excluding the very opening few days of the invasion.
Kiev is framing its Saturday attack on Belgorod as 'retaliation' for Russia's big aerial assault; however, Ukrainian officials claim they were only hitting Russian military targets. But this hasn't been consistent with the video and photographic evidence showing residential and other buildings, including a mall, on fire or billowing smoke.
