Russia says it launched strikes on military sites, "foreign mercenaries" after Ukraine's bombardment on Belgorod

Moscow [Russia], December 31 (ANI): Russia said it launched retaliatory strikes on military sites and "foreign mercenaries" in Kharkiv after Ukraine's attack on Russia's Belgorod that killed at least 24 people, CNN reported.
According to Ukrainian officials, at least three people were killed and 28 others were injured after missiles and drones hit Kharkiv.
In a post shared on Telegram, the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov, said that rescuers had found the bodies of two men and a woman in a house damaged by Russian attacks on Borova village in the Kharkiv region.
The Ukrainian military said several missiles struck Kharkiv, with two children among those injured. Ukraine said residential buildings, hotels and medical facilities were damaged in the strikes. It further said that Russia continued its attacks on other parts of the country overnight, including Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defence said its strikes hit "decision-making centres and military installations," including a hotel housing military commanders and "foreign mercenaries," CNN reported. According to the statement, the former Kharkiv Palace hotel and the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service for the Kharkiv region were struck.
The statement said that a control centre used by the Ukrainian army in Zaletsy in the Khmelnitsky region was hit and fuel depots in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were destroyed. According to the statement, two HIMARS and multiple launch rocket systems were destroyed, CNN reported.
Russia said that the strikes were carried out in response to the Ukrainian strike on the Belgorod region on Saturday. Russia's Ministry of Defence called it a "terror attack." At least 24 people, including three children, were killed and 108 others were injured in Belgorod, according to CNN report.
The Russian Defence Ministry had vowed that the attacks "will not go unpunished." As per the news report, an increase in the number of attacks has been witnessed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the final weeks of 2023. On Friday, Russia launched its biggest air attack on Ukraine since the war between the two nations started. (ANI)