🇷🇺🪖 Key points of Russian MoD briefing on progress of special military op in Ukraine:

▪️ In the Kupyansk direction, six Ukrainian attacks were repelled and a number of strikes were carried out, with Kiev losing up to 50 military personnel and two infantry fighting vehicles;

▪️ In the Krasny Liman direction, an attack by the Ukrainian National Guard north of Grigorovka in the DPR was repelled, the enemy lost up to 100 soldiers;

▪️ In the Donetsk direction, two attacks were repelled, Kiev lost up to 350 troops killed and wounded, and two armored personnel carriers. During counter-battery combat, an M777 artillery system and M109 Paladin self-propelled gun were lost;

▪️ In the South Donetsk direction, a blow was struck against Ukrainian forces near Ugledar, Novomikhailovka, and Vodyanoy in the DPR. The enemy lost 116 soldiers;

▪️ In the Zaporozhye direction, a blow was struck against Ukrainian forces and equipment in the Rabotino area, with Kiev losing up to 20 military personnel and three pickup trucks;

▪️ Kiev lost up to 25 servicemen in the Kherson direction;

▪️ A Ukrainian Olkha MLRS launcher was destroyed in the Liptsy area of the Kharkov region.

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❗️ The village of Urazovo also came under Ukrainian shelling. There were no casualties, but the building of a physical training and recreation center was damaged, Governor of the Belgorod region said

❗️ According to updated data, six people were killed and 24 injured after the Ukrainian military shelled the center of Belgorod, emergency services told Sputnik

❗️ In Belgorod, due to shelling by the Ukrainian army, nine adults and one child were killed. 45 people were injured, including four children, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.

🇵🇱 The Polish military found no traces of a missile that allegedly flew into the country from Ukraine on Friday, reports the Operational Command of the Republic's Armed Forces

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❗️ The Kiev regime, which committed a crime in Belgorod, is trying to distract attention from defeats at the front and provoke similar reactions, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

We emphasize that the Russian armed forces operate only against Ukrainian military installations and directly related infrastructure, the ministry added.

⚡️ Strike on Belgorod will not go unpunished - Russian Ministry of Defense

❗️ Russian air defenses intercepted Olkha multiple rocket launching system (MLRS) missiles but most of the RM-70 Vampire MLRS rockets launched, several artillery shells and cluster bombs hit Belgorod — Russian Ministry of Defense

❗️ Responsibility for the terrorist attack on Belgorod rests with the countries that supply weapons to Kiev, which uses cluster munitions against civilians, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

Terror attack in Belgorod will be subject of proceedings in UNSC, Russia requested its meeting, she added.

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❗️ A UN Security Council meeting in connection with the shelling of Belgorod has been requested for 11:00 p.m. Moscow time (20:00 GMT) and Russia has demanded the participation of the Czech envoy to provide explanation regarding the arms supplies to Kiev, Russian Deputy Envoy to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Saturday.

"We have requested a meeting of the Security Council on Belgorod for 15.00 New York time (23.00 Moscow time) today, December 30. We also demanded the presence of the Czech Republic's Permanent Representative, so that he could explain himself for his country's supply of ammunition, which is killing civilians," Polyanskiy said.

Deliberate terror targeting of civilians by Kiev ‘sign of desperation,’ retired US Army colonel says commenting on the deadly Belgorod attack

“I think we see a sign of desperation in Ukraine…They claim that they are targeting military, but we see very seldom [that it] is actually military targets. And in this case, we have a large number of civilian casualties. It’s desperation,” US Army veteran and former Eurasia Foundation VP Earl Rasmussen told Sputnik, commenting on Saturday’s deadly Belgorod attack.

“They’re trying to hit into Russia proper, they’re trying to change attitudes of Russian people perhaps. They’re trying to claim some type of ‘positive news’ they can provide their backers,” Rasmussen said, not ruling out that the Belgorod attack could have been based on targeting information provided by Western countries.

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The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on the use of cluster munitions by the Kiev regime in the attack on Belgorod - Russian Foreign Ministry

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❗️ Belgorod Governor Gladkov wrote on his Telegram channel that it is 'loud' in the city as Russian Armed Forces are firing back at Ukraine

🇨🇳 China's coast guard is planning to deploy its vessels near a group of islands in the East China Sea to which both Beijing and Tokyo lay claim, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Senkaku Islands in Japan, on a permanent basis next year, conducting inspections of Japanese fishing boats, if necessary.

The Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the plan was prepared after Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a visit to the East China Sea regional command of the coast guard, stated the need to "constantly strengthen" efforts aimed at protecting China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. The Chinese leader also called for combating illegal activities at sea in accordance with the law and supporting China's maritime economy.

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