14 Russian civilians killed by Ukrainian shelling following Russia's largest aerial assault in war
Russian Ministry of Defense reports destruction of thirteen Ukrainian missiles over Belgorod region, following largest aerial assault of war Rescuers search through Kyiv rubble in aftermath of Ukrainian shelling, claiming lives of 14 Russian civilians
Ukrainian shelling on the Russian city of Belgorod resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people, including two children, according to the Russian emergencies ministry. The attack on downtown Belgorod on Saturday was described as "massive" by Russian state news agency TASS, citing the Russian emergencies ministry.
The shelling on Saturday followed Russia's largest air attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, which occurred overnight from Thursday to Friday. This devastating attack resulted in at least 39 deaths and over 150 injuries. While Ukrainian attacks on Russian regions near the border have been ongoing for over a year, sometimes leading to civilian casualties, this incident, if confirmed, would be one of the deadliest.
The Kremlin reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the attack in Belgorod and has directed the deployment of a health ministry team and emergencies ministry rescuers to assist the affected individuals in the city. The shelling has caused damage to approximately 40 civilian facilities and resulted in 10 fires, all of which have now been extinguished.
Russian officials reported that Belgorod was targeted with shelling on Friday night, resulting in the death of one civilian, according to the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. He also stated that four others, including a child, were injured. Additionally, Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz confirmed on Saturday that a child had also died as a result of Ukrainian shelling in Russia's Bryansk region.
The Russian defense ministry reported that it has successfully taken down 32 Ukrainian UAVs that were flying over Russian territories including Bryansk, Oryol, Mursk, and Moscow. Ukraine has not issued a public statement regarding these incidents and typically does not acknowledge responsibility for attacks on Russia.
Rescuers comb through Kyiv rubble
The toll from the Russian strikes on Ukraine - which saw an unprecedented number of drones and missiles fired at targets across the country - meanwhile continued to mount.
Several buildings including schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades, and blocks of flats were struck in Friday's attack, leading to widespread international condemnation. The death toll in the capital Kyiv has risen to at least 16, with Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reporting that more civilian bodies were recovered from the rubble of a warehouse on Saturday. All of the deaths in Kyiv occurred at the warehouse.
"The assault on the capital city on December 29th resulted in the highest number of civilian casualties since the beginning of the full-scale invasion," he announced.
"Rescue teams are currently working and will persist in clearing the debris until tomorrow," Klitschko stated. "January 1st will be designated as a Day of Mourning in Kyiv."
During the surge of strikes, the military authorities in Poland asserted that an "unidentified airborne object" had briefly breached its airspace. In response, Russia stated that it would not provide an explanation "until concrete evidence is presented."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on X that NATO remained vigilant overthe incident.
CNNs Victoria Butenko, Svitlana Vlasova and Christian Edwards contributed to this report.
