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Kharkiv and Belgorod hit after record Russian barrage
Summary
A look back at 30 December 2023, when Kharkiv and Belgorod came under fire a day after a large Russian assault on Ukrainian cities.
What happened on 30 December 2023, and how did it follow the largest Russian air assault of the war? The day brought fresh strikes on both sides of the border, coming after a barrage that had already killed dozens across Ukraine.
Kharkiv under missile fire
On 30 December 2023, Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with missiles. At least 16 people were injured, including a foreign journalist, and civilian infrastructure was damaged.
Belgorod: a disputed account
The same day, explosions struck the Russian city of Belgorod. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine launched drone and missile strikes on the city, killing 25 people and injuring 110. Later accounts described Russian sources as saying the blasts were shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while Ukraine attributed the explosions to the work of Russian air defence.
The barrage a day earlier
Both events followed the overnight assault of 29 December 2023. Russia launched what was reported as the largest wave of drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities since the start of the war, in a widespread attack across the country. At least 39 people were killed and at least 160 injured, according to the figures reported at the time. A later account put the number of dead at no fewer than 58, and said hundreds of missiles and drones hit Kyiv and other cities.
The attack also had a wider regional dimension. One of the Russian cruise missiles entered NATO airspace over Polish territory. In response, the Polish government summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires for an explanation.
What the two days showed
Taken together, the events of 29 and 30 December 2023 showed the war's strikes reaching cities in Ukraine and in Russia within a span of two days. Kharkiv's casualties came from missile fire, while the Belgorod toll, as stated by the Russian Defense Ministry, was among the highest reported from a single incident on Russian territory that day. The two sides gave differing explanations of what had caused the explosions there.
