Russian President Vladimir Putin vows to intensify his country's attack on Ukraine after Kyiv launched a deadly assault on Moscow's Belgorod city.
In a statement during a visit to a military hospital, the Russian strongman said that they would intensify the strikes. He added that no crime against civilians by Ukraine will be left unpunished. His words referred to the 24 people who lost their lives and the 100 others who were wounded in the assault on Saturday.
Vladimir Putin Vows To Intensify Attack on Ukraine
Putin also accused Ukrainian military forces of targeting "right in the city center, where people were walking around, before New Year's Eve." He added that Moscow's troops will continue to hit what he called Ukrainian "military installations." Putin's remarks upped the ante following more than 22 months of conflict between the two sides.
Ukraine's strike on Belgorod city came as apparent retaliation for Russia's worst aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities to date. The latter targeted the capital Kyiv last week, an attack that killed 39 people, as per DW News.
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's New Year's address, he vowed to hit Russia with the "wrath" of his country's bolstered military capabilities. The two nations' militaries have launched new attacks on Sunday and early Monday.
A Russian-installed official in the eastern region of Ukraine said that shelling that was authorized by Kyiv led to the killing of four people in the area. The head of the Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin wrote on Telegram that "heavy shelling" by Ukrainian forces left 14 people wounded.
On the other hand, Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian aerial attacks on Odesa in the southern parts of the country killed at least one individual. The governor of the Odessa region, Oleh Kiper, said on Telegram that several people were wounded by falling debris following a Russian drone attack that caused fires in some residential buildings.
Ongoing Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Putin also claimed that Ukraine is being used by the West to "settle its problems" and argued that the court of the war was changing in Russia's favor. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that Ukraine's assault on Belgorod involved two missiles and several rockets, according to Aljazeera.
Officials also said that most of the weapons used in the attack were shot down but noted that some debris fell on the city. The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the assault damaged 30 apartment buildings and several houses and vehicles.
The latest development comes after Russian attacks in the Western city of Lviv resulted in the damage of a museum that was dedicated to Roman Shukhevych, a Ukrainian nationalist and military commander. He fought for Ukraine's independence during World War II.
During his nightly address on Saturday, Zelensky said that Russia will be held responsible for "all strikes in Odesa, Sumy region, Kyiv, and all our other cities and regions." He also suggested that there would be retaliation for Moscow's attacks on his country, both political and practical.
Russian President Putin's remarks also include false claims that his country's forces only target military facilities in Ukraine amid the conflict, said the New York Times.
Related Article: Russian Snipers Using American Scopes in Ukraine
