Russia Again Accuses Ukraine of Attacking Belgorod

The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of launching twelve missiles and several drones at the border city of Belgorod in southwestern Russia in the early hours of Wednesday, January 3. This is the second time that Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking the city located forty kilometers from the border of the two countries. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the region, stated that the situation has remained "tense" since the major attack on Saturday, January 1. Russia reported that 25 civilians, including five children, were killed in Ukraine's attacks on Saturday. According to Reuters, the escalation of Ukraine's attacks on Belgorod comes at a time when Russia has conducted some of its most intense strikes against Ukraine since the war began nearly two years ago. In this context, Kyiv announced on Tuesday, January 2, that Russia had launched over 300 various drones and missiles towards cities in different regions of Ukraine since Friday. Belgorod, like other border areas of Russia with Ukraine, has regularly been targeted since the start of the war, but the attacks on Saturday were the deadliest. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by stating that these attacks would not go "unpunished." According to the report, Russian officials announced that the attacks on Tuesday in Belgorod left one dead and seven injured. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukraine fired six "Tochka-U" ballistic missiles and six guided missiles launched from a "Vilha" rocket launcher during its attacks on Wednesday. The governor of Belgorod mentioned that Ukraine also launched several drones towards the city. Meanwhile, Norway's Minister of Defense announced that the country would send two "F-16" fighter jets and ten trainers to Denmark to train Ukrainian pilots in using the American-made fighter jets. Acquiring F-16s is one of Ukraine's key demands to strengthen its air force in the war against Russia. The Norwegian Air Force has replaced its F-16s with the successor model, the F-35. NATO also announced that its logistics branch is supporting a group of member countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain, to sign a contract for the purchase of one thousand "Patriot" air defense missiles to enhance air defense against the Russian threat. The value of this contract is estimated at 5.5 billion dollars. Reuters also reported that with the escalation of Russian attacks against Ukraine, the European Union has sanctioned the world's largest diamond mining company, Alrosa, in Russia, and its CEO, Pavel Alekseevich Marinichev. The EU stated that this company is a source of "significant revenue" for Moscow. The EU had previously banned the import, purchase, or transfer of Russian natural and synthetic diamonds and diamond jewelry since January 1. The continuation of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine has resulted in five deaths and dozens of injuries. Zelensky stated that Russia has suffered "heavy losses" on the battlefield. The intensification of Russian attacks has seen Russian drones targeting symbols of Ukrainian nationalism. Ukraine and Russia accused each other of conducting attacks at the beginning of the New Year. Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine resulted in 12 deaths and 60 injuries.