On January 2, Belgorod experienced triple shelling involving the Ukrainian armed forces. One person died and seven more were wounded, according to statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense and Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Russian air defense reportedly intercepted 17 missiles launched by the Vilkha multiple launch rocket system over Belgorod and surrounding areas. The strikes unfolded in three waves around 12:00, 13:00, and 14:30 local time, with the sequence beginning with four missiles, followed by five, and then eight more. The Defense Ministry attributed the attacks to Kyiv.
Governor Gladkov announced that he sustained shrapnel injuries to his arms and legs during the first strike and was hospitalized in serious condition.
The second attack damaged a retail store and several vehicles due to shrapnel. In the village of Belovskoye, a passenger car was pierced by shrapnel as part of the Belgorod region consequences described by officials.
Fatality in a vehicle
One person died during the third assault. According to Gladkov, a man in a car was struck by a fragment near the vehicle and died at the scene from shrapnel injuries.
Five others were injured; two were transported by ambulance to a regional hospital while two others declined hospitalization. A further victim was taken to the emergency department after a roof fragment struck a woman on a bus.
In the third strike, private homes, four cars, and a bus sustained damage. A missile siren sounded before each Belgorod raid.
Escalation and chronology
This marks the second mass bombardment of Belgorod within days. On December 30 Belgorod endured its most intense shelling since the start of the current operation, leaving 25 people dead and 108 injured. The Defense Ministry noted the use of Vilkha missiles along with Czech-made Vampire MLRS projectiles in those attacks.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing troops in a Moscow hospital, labeled the December 30 events as part of a terrorist attack. He pledged stronger retaliation, stating that no crime against civilians would go unpunished.
The December 30 assault followed a large-scale Russian strike against Ukrainian cities on the night of December 29, which left at least 30 people dead and more than 160 wounded.
Conversely, Kyiv and Ukrainian officials reported a major operation on the night of January 2 as well. They claimed five fatalities and more than a hundred injuries in Ukraine. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi reported the launch of 62 Kh-101/555/55 cruise missiles, 35 Shahed attack drones, and 10 Kh-47M2 Dagger aeroballistic missiles across the country, according to official statements. (Source: Ukrainian military and Russian defense ministry briefings)