escalation of bombings on both sides of the border

2023-12-30 16:43:00

The response did not take long. The day following a massive Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities, the Ukrainian army responded on the Russian border town Belgorod. The death toll is heavy: 14 people killed and 108 injured. “President Vladimir Putin has been informed regarding the attack by the Ukrainian armed forces on residential areas of Belgorod,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency.

The Russian Defense Ministry has warned that this strike will not stay “unpunished.” Russia also announced that it had requested a meeting of the UN Security Council following the strike. Finally, the Security Council is expected to meet this Saturday evening at 9:00 p.m. GMT.

The town of Belgorod is 30 kilometers from the border with Ukraine and has on numerous occasions been the target of attacks that Russia describes as “indiscriminate bombing”. At the same time, Russia claims to have intercepted around thirty drones and 13 missiles over Russia, including in the Moscow region.

Condemnation of Russian bombings

These Ukrainian strikes come as Russian forces unleashed a veritable barrage once morest Ukrainian territory on Friday, December 29, causing the death of 39 people, including 16 killed in the capital Kyiv, and some 160 injured, while rescuers continued to do so. Saturday clearing the rubble.

Russian forces are said to have used a whole range of Iranian-made missiles and drones to target industrial and civilian installations, such as a maternity ward and a shopping center, according to a tactic now well practiced by the Russians since their intervention in Syria, particularly in Aleppo. . Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov believes that Russian forces have spent months stockpiling missiles and drones in preparation for more raids this winter.

These bombings, the most significant since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, were condemned on Friday by the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Mohamed Khiari, not to mention numerous international condemnations, including those of the United States. The American president reminded Congress of the urgency to act to release military aid funds to Ukraine.

The bet of shortness of breath

US President Joe Biden called Friday’s Russian strikes a “a stark reminder to the world that, following two years of this devastating war, Putin’s goal remains unchanged.” Russia is increasing the pressure, both military and informational, while Ukraine is going through a difficult time following the failure of its summer counter-offensive. Positions are now largely fixed, with marginal territorial gains on one side or the other. Which is reminiscent of the trench warfare of 14-18.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is preparing for his next re-election following having stifled any form of protest, at the cost of lurid political trials, is banking on the running out of Western aid to force Ukraine to negotiate its own dismemberment for the benefit of the Russia. A request for US aid of $61 billion for Ukraine is currently blocked in Congress. In Europe, Hungary, openly pro-Russian, vetoed European Union support for Ukraine amounting to 50 billion euros for 2024.