Russian Air Defense Destroys 12 Tochka-U and Olkha Ukrainian Missiles Over Belgorod Region

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems shot down six Tochka-U missiles and six Olkha missiles launched by the Ukrainian military against Russia's Belgorod Region on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Today, on the morning of January 3, another attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack on targets in Russia using the Olkha multiple launch rocket systems and the Tochka-U tactical missile complexes was thwarted. Air defense systems on duty destroyed six Tochka-U missiles and six Olkha MLRS missiles over the Belgorod Region," the ministry said in a statement.

On December 30, Ukraine shelled the center of the Russian city of Belgorod, targeting civilian infrastructure.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Kiev regime used cluster munitions, stressing that the attack was aimed at diverting attention from its defeats on the battlefield and provoking Russian forces to similar actions.

But unlike Ukraine, Russia strikes only military facilities and infrastructure directly connected to them, the ministry stressed, adding that it will not leave the deadly attack on Belgorod unanswered.

In retaliation, the Russian armed forces carried out strikes on Ukrainian enterprises of the military-industrial complex, especially those producing missiles.