New Russian attacks in kyiv and Kharkiv, and Russia denounces Ukrainian missiles in Belgorod

First modification: 02/01/2024 – 16:35

4 min

At least four people died and another 92 were injured after a massive Russian attack on Tuesday, January 2, in the cities of kyiv and Kharkiv, according to the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who regretted the event through his account. Telegram.

He denounced that most of the attacks were directed against civilians, after reporting children and the elderly among the victims. He wrote this on his X account, formerly Twitter:

In the attack, which involved more than 99 missiles and 35 drones, Ukrainian air defense systems managed to destroy 72, including 10 Kinzhal, according to Kiev Mayor Vitali Klichko.

He also detailed that the Russian attack involved Shahed-136 drones, Tu-95MS bombers, MiG-31K fighters with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Iskander missiles. And he said that a Su-35 tactical aircraft was used, which bombed with Kh-31P anti-radar missiles.

The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleschuk, stated that Russia repeated the attack of December 29, considered by its forces to be the most massive since the war began. for being simultaneous attacks in at least six cities.

Russia described the event as “successful”

The Russian Ministry of Defense spoke out against the attack on January 2 and said that it was strategically directed against companies in the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and warehouses with missiles, ammunition and aviation weapons “supplied by Western countries.” This is what the official statement says:

The Russian Armed Forces carried out a group attack with long-range precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, which carried out work for the production of missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and weapons repair and military equipment in and around kyiv

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, their mission “was successful and the objective of the attack was achieved. All targets were hit.”

Kremlin denounces new Ukrainian attack on Belgorod

A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that the Ukrainian attack on December 30 against the border city of Belgorod, which claimed the lives of 25 people and left more than a hundred injured, would not go unpunished.

However, again, on January 2, Russian air defenses reported another Ukrainian attack in the Belgorod region, after destroying nine missiles, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The governor of Belgorod, Viacheslav Gladkov, reported that anti-aircraft alarms sounded twice in the region's capital, warning its population. “Russia repelled an attempted terrorist attack by the kyiv regime,” he said.

Ukraine calls for more support from its Western allies

For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimytro Kuleba urged Western countries to respond to the recent Russian attacks, classifying them as “terrorist”, and requested urgent measures, especially the sending of military aid, including air defense systems.

In a statement, Kuleba called for combat drones and missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities.

He also proposed using Russian assets frozen by Western sanctions to cover the costs of Ukrainian needs, and urged ending all contact with Russian diplomats, among others. This is what he said in his statement:

The terrorist regime in Moscow must feel that the international community will not turn a blind eye to the killing of Ukrainian civilians and the destruction of Ukraine's critical infrastructure

Poland strengthens border security

Two patrols of F-16 fighters from the Polish and American Army have been deployed since the morning of January 2 to patrol the border with Ukraine.

A measure that aims to guarantee the security of Polish airspace, as reported by the Polish Army Operational Command.

These are operations that are carried out within the framework of NATO's defense mechanism.

In recent days, Russia has carried out missile and drone attacks against several Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, which is located about 70 kilometers from the Polish border.

On December 29, Poland said it had detected the passage of an object that violated its airspace and came from Ukraine. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said it was “probably” a Russian missile, raising alerts in the region. However, he later dismissed his own accusation after finding no evidence of the flying object.

With Reuters and EFE