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100 houses, schools, hospitals, two churches,
shops, warehouses, and a metro station. In Kyiv,
33 people died, and 35 were injured. In Dnipro,
where a maternity hospital and a shopping center
were hit, seven people died, and 30 were injured.
In Odessa, the attacks claimed five lives and
injured 27 people. During the attack, one of the
Russian missiles penetrated Polish territory
and, after about three minutes, turned back into
Ukrainian airspace. It appears to be a deliberate
maneuver aimed at avoiding Ukrainian defense
and attacking from an unexpected direction. There
were also cases where Ch-101 missiles released
decoy targets during flight. It is unclear whether
they were pre-programmed to do so in specific
areas or if they have a sensor that alerts them
when they are targeted.
Ukrainian Retaliation
On the following day, Saturday, December 30,
Ukraine launched 70 drones targeting locations in
Russian territory. The most severely affected was
the city of Belgorod, approximately 40 km from
the Ukrainian border. Russian authorities claim
that Ukrainians targeted civilian objects, including
a skating rink, a shopping center, and a university.
Twenty-five civilians were reported dead, and over
100 were injured. However, based on photographs
released by Belgorod residents, it appears that the
city was mainly hit by its own air defense missiles.
Some debris found in the streets was identified as
remnants of S-300 missiles, and several houses
were hit by missiles from the Pantsir systems.
The Kremlin rejected this claim, and a military
spokesperson stated that the Russian armed
forces precisely target their objectives without
causing any collateral damage. Remember this
statement, as we will come back to it later in
the continuation. Mutual attacks between the
two sides continued. After Belgorod was shelled,
Russia launched missile attacks on Kharkiv,
hitting a hotel, apartment buildings, and other
"military" targets. In the following days, Russia also
deployed 49 drones against Ukrainian cities.
The shelling of Belgorod had repercussions
in the UN. The Kremlin, without any evidence,
claimed that Ukraine used RM-70 Vampire rocket
launchers supplied from the Czech Republic. They
could not have had any evidence because even
with extended-range rockets, the Vampire from
Ukrainian territory could not reach the center of
Belgorod. Nevertheless, Russia sought to summon
the Czech representative to the UN to provide an
explanation. However, the Czech representative
refused the summons and did not allow himself to
be exploited by Russian propaganda.
F-16 from the Netherlands as well
During the observed period, problems with the
delivery of necessary weapons and ammunition
escalated due to internal political disputes in the
United States. Despite this, there were positive
developments for Ukraine. For example, missiles
for Patriot systems are manufactured under
license in Japan. Although they are not directly
delivered to Kyiv, Japan agreed to provide its
products to the United States, which could then
supply Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Good news
also came regarding F-16 fighter jets. In addition
to Belgium, Denmark, and Norway, which had
already promised their delivery, the Netherlands
joined during the observed period, announcing that
it would provide Ukraine with 18 aircraft. At the
same time, the first six Ukrainian pilots completed
basic training on the F-16 and moved to Denmark,
where they continue their combat training. There
were also reports that donor states are actively
working to enhance the F-16 aircraft within their
capabilities during the training of Ukrainian pilots.
This includes the installation of more modern
radars, and the integration of advanced weapons
is not ruled out. Incidentally, Russia reacted in
its typical manner. Even before the arrival of the
F-16s in Ukraine, it claimed to have destroyed
six of them in an attack on the airport in Odessa.
They even provided a photo of a burned fighter on
the ground. However, there was one small flaw –
the photo is from 2018 and captures the crash of
a Belgian aircraft.
The maternity hospital in Dnipro was also destroyed. Mothers were evacuated to shelters
after the alarm was sounded.
Damaged residential building in Odesa.
Disposal of a Kinzhal missile warhead that got harmlessly buried in the ground. There is also a video capturing
the fall of another downed Kinzhal into the water.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the cockpit of an F-16. Beside him
is the Commander of the Dutch Air Force, Lieutenant General Andre Steur.
HISTORY
INFO Eduard34
February 2024