The Russian city of Belgorod witnessed explosions around 3 p.m. local time, followed by black smoke visible over the city. The city's emergency services were quick to respond, with sirens blaring and security services cordoning off the intersection of Bogdan Khmelnytsky Street and Slavy Avenue, urging people to steer clear of the area.
Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov later confirmed via his Telegram channel that Ukrainian forces had shelled the city center, impacting a residential area.
In response to the crisis, Gladkov urged residents to seek shelter following the activation of the missile alert.
Earlier in the day, Gladkov said that the Ukrainian military shelled the center of Belgorod, killing two children and injuring an unspecified number of people, according to preliminary information. He added that air raid sirens went off in the city and urged all residents to take shelter, as the danger remained. The siren sounded for at least 10 minutes, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Previously, Russian air defenses have destroyed 13 rockets over the Belgorod Region, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“On December 29, at about 11 p.m., an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation using multiple launch rocket systems was stopped. The air defense systems on duty destroyed 13 rockets over the Belgorod Region,” the ministry said.