Russia Strikes Ukraine in Retaliation for Belgorod Attack

Facts

• Russia on Sunday targeted 'decision-making centers and military installations' in Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv in retaliation for what it called a 'terrorist attack' on the border city of Belgorod a day earlier.¹
• Though Russia's defense ministry said that its forces had used high-precision missiles to hit military targets in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials alleged that the missiles didn't hit military facilities but 'cafes, residential buildings, and offices' and killed at least two civilians.²
• According to Kyiv, at least six missiles hit 12 apartment buildings, 13 residential houses, and a kindergarten in Kharkiv, injuring at least 22 residents. Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force claimed to have destroyed 21 of 49 Russian drones, primarily aimed at the Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.³
• Previously, Moscow had claimed that 'massive shelling' by Ukraine's armed forces in Belgorod on Saturday had killed at least 24 people, including children, and left more than 100 injured. It added that Kyiv had been 'trying to divert attention from the defeats on the front lines' and provoke its forces into 'taking similar actions.'⁴
• The latest attacks come after a barrage of Russian missiles on several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, had reportedly killed at least 40 people and allegedly damaged schools, hospitals, shopping arcades, and residential complexes on Friday.⁵
• Meanwhile, the UN has condemned all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia, stating they 'violate international humanitarian law, are unacceptable, and must end now.'⁶

Sources: ¹TASS, ²BBC News, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴CNN, ⁵NDTV and ⁶UN News.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. Russia is within its rights to punish the organizers and perpetrators of the deadliest attack on its civilians since the start of the special military operation. Ukraine not only allegedly used cluster munitions but also targeted a sports center, an ice rink, and a university. Kyiv's deliberate, indiscriminate attacks against the Russians are testament to Zelenskyy's corrupt and lawless regime, which seeks to kill as many Russians as possible to please its NATO allies.
• Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Russians want to intimidate Kyiv, but Ukraine is merely defending itself. Putin is paying the price for invading Ukraine and starting the war nearly two years ago. The responsibility for civilian casualties ultimately lays with the war criminal and Russia's incompetent air defense that produced falling fragments over Belgorod. If the Kremlin wants someone to blame for the deaths of Russians in this war, it should start with Putin.

Predictions