Russia retaliates after attack on Ukraine that killed 24 in a border town

(CNN) — Russia said it attacked military sites and “foreign mercenaries” in Kharkiv in retaliation for the Ukrainian bombing of the Russian border city of Belgorod, which killed at least 24 people.

Ukrainian officials said at least three people were killed and 28 others were injured after missiles and drones attacked Kharkiv.

Oleh Sinihubov, head of the regional military administration, said in a post on Telegram that rescue workers recovered the bodies of two men and a woman from a house damaged by Russian attacks in the village of Borova in the Kharkiv region.

The Ukrainian military said several missiles hit the city of Kharkiv and that two children were among the injured.

Residential buildings, hotels and medical facilities were also damaged in the attacks, while Ukraine said Russia continued its attacks in other areas of the country overnight, including the regions of Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia.

According to a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry, its attacks targeted “decision-making centers and military facilities”, including hotels housing military commanders and “foreign mercenaries”.

According to the statement, the former Kharkiv Palace Hotel and the headquarters of the Ukrainian Security Service for the Kharkiv region were attacked.

An aerial view shows the Kharkiv Palace Hotel severely damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine on December 31, 2023. (Vitaly Hnidy/Reuters)

It said a control center used by Ukrainian forces in the village of Zaletsi in the Khmelnytskyi region was attacked and fuel depots in Kharkiv and Zaporizhia were destroyed.

According to the statement, two HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems were also destroyed.

Russia said the attacks overnight were in response to Saturday’s deadly Ukrainian attack on the city of Belgorod, which it blamed on Ukraine and which Russia’s Defense Ministry condemned as a “terrorist attack.” .

At least 24 people, including three children, were killed and 108 others were injured in Belgorod, one of the deadliest attacks on Russian civilians since the war began. There has been no official comment from Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry promised that the bombing “will not go unpunished.”

The last weeks of 2023 have seen an increase in the number of attacks from both sides.

On Friday, Russia launched its largest airstrike on Ukraine since the beginning of its massive invasion. An unprecedented number of drones and missiles were fired at targets across the country, killing at least 45 people.