MOSCOW/KIEV (dpa-AFX) – Russia suffered a high number of civilian deaths for the first time in its almost two-year war of aggression against Ukraine at the turn of the year. In the border town of Belgorod, 24 dead and more than 100 injured were counted after Ukrainian attacks, as Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Sunday. The Russian military claimed that Ukraine had also used internationally banned cluster munitions.
Expressly in retaliation for Belgorod, the Russian army shelled the nearby eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Saturday evening, where, according to authorities, 28 were injured. A rocket hit a large international hotel. A team from Second German Television (ZDF) was also affected by this. A Ukrainian translator was seriously injured by debris, the broadcaster said. A security guard was also injured.
Russia also launched drones and missiles against Ukraine on New Year’s Day. According to media reports, explosions were heard at midday near the towns of Kropyvnitsky and Krivy Rih in the center of the country.
Belgorod counts its dead
“Without a doubt, our region has never experienced such a level of aggression,” Governor Gladkov wrote on the social network Telegram. “These were the worst consequences of shelling in these almost two years.” According to official Russian figures, 44 buildings in Belgorod were hit in the attacks on Friday and Saturday. There was another rocket alarm on Sunday. Citizens complained that shelters were not open everywhere. The governor asked that such cases be brought to his attention.
The city, about 30 kilometers from Ukraine, has come under attack several times since the war began in February 2022, targeting military depots or fuel tanks. But there have never been so many civilian deaths in a Russian city. Nevertheless, the damage and number of victims are disproportionate to what Russia is doing in Ukraine. After Friday’s heavy bombardment with rockets, cruise missiles and drones alone, the number of Ukrainian civilians killed rose to 45 by Sunday.
Putin emphasizes Russia’s resilience
The Russian President Wladimir Putin, who ordered the war, did not comment on the situation in Belgorod. He sent disaster control helpers and a high-ranking official to the city. The incident also did not appear in his pre-recorded speech at the turn of the year. Instead, he called on the Russians’ perseverance and unity in a difficult situation. “We have shown more than once that we can solve the most difficult tasks and never back down, because there is no force that can divide us,” said the Kremlin chief. Because of the deaths in Belgorod, many other Russian cities canceled their New Year’s Eve celebrations at short notice.
Has Ukraine used cluster munitions?
According to Russian military information, Ukraine is said to have shelled the city with combat drones and rocket artillery. In Moscow, the Defense Ministry said two precision-guided Ukrainian missiles were riddled with cluster munitions. The military said these rockets were shot down by anti-aircraft defense, but their debris containing cluster munitions fell into the city center. The information could not immediately be independently verified. Cluster munitions are smaller explosive devices that are released from a larger projectile and are primarily intended to hit vehicles and people.
In the UN Security Council Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya made it seem as if the center of Belgorod had been deliberately shelled. “In order to increase the number of victims, cluster munitions were used,” said Nebensja in New York. Cluster munitions are banned in many countries. Russia and Ukraine have already used this type of ammunition against each other.
There was no official statement from Kiev until Sunday. The news portal “Ukrainskaya Pravda” wrote, citing an intelligence source, that the Ukrainian army had targeted Russian military objects. Civilians were harmed due to “unprofessional actions by the Russian air defense as well as deliberate and planned provocations.”
ZDF team hit when rocket hits hotel in Kharkiv
After the attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, ZDF reported that its seven-member television team was in the hotel on Saturday when a rocket hit. “This is another attack by Russia on the free press. We hope that the injured colleagues recover quickly,” said ZDF editor-in-chief Bettina Schauste. The hotel is often used by foreign journalists because it has a bunker. A British journalist is also said to have been injured. The Russian army has repeatedly shelled hotels where journalists or volunteers are staying, including in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow confirmed the attack. A military spokesman said on Sunday that the hotel was shelled because representatives of the Ukrainian secret services were planning the shelling of Belgorod there. Russia continued attacks on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve with missiles and several waves of drones. The Ukrainian Air Force said 21 of 49 attacking drones over Ukraine during the night were shot down./fko/DP/he