22 killed in Belgorod due to incompetent Russian air defence response

Iryna Balachuk — Sunday, 31 December 2023, 07:26

Smoke after the explosions in Belgorod on 30 December. Photo: Astra Telegram channel

The death toll in Russia's Belgorod has risen to 22, the oblast governor has said. Earlier, a source in the security services told Ukrainska Pravda that the Ukrainian Defence Forces had been targeting military facilities in Russia, but that unprofessional actions by Russian air defence caused debris to fall in the city centre.

Source: Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram

Quote from Gladkov: "The death toll from yesterday's attack on Belgorod has increased to 22. One of the injured died at night in hospital."

Details: According to Gladkov, another 109 people were injured, 25 of them seriously.

In addition, 30 apartment buildings, 381 apartments, several private homes and many cars were allegedly damaged.

Gladkov said he would hold a staff meeting in the morning on 31 December.

Background:

On 30 December, explosions rocked Belgorod, Russia, and debris fell in the city centre after Russian air defence was activated.
A source in the security services told Ukrainska Pravda that the Defence Forces had targeted Russian military facilities in Belgorod Oblast, but due to "unprofessional actions by air defence" and "planned provocations", the debris fell in the city centre.
On 30 December, 18 people were reported killed in Belgorod.
According to experts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Ukrainian drones launched on 30 December probably hit many of their targets in Russia, as evidenced by the difference in numbers: the Ukrainians reported more than 70 drones had been launched, while the Russians reported 32 had been intercepted.

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