Death toll from Ukraine's attack on Russian city of Belgorod rises to 22

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The death toll from Ukraine's Saturday attack on the Russian city of Belgorod has risen to 22 after another person died of his injuries overnight, local authorities said on Sunday.

Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement on Telegram that the attack injured 109 people, 25 of whom sustained serious wounds and will be transported to Moscow for treatment.

According to the latest information, the governor said three children were among the victims in the attack that damaged 381 apartments in 30 buildings, several private houses, and numerous vehicles.

This was a "terrorist attack" that was deliberately directed at civilians, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said at a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York, blaming the UK and US for helping plan and carry out the "crime."

"A deliberate act of terrorism directed against civilians... the organization of this terrorist attack involved American and British consultants who regularly incite the authorities of present-day Ukraine to commit bloody crimes," he stressed.

Earlier on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used two Olkha missiles with cassette munitions and Czech multiple rocket launcher systems Vampire. The strikes were directed at residential quarters, it added.

The use of cassette munitions is prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions and is considered a war crime in many countries.

The city of Belgorod is the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, a region located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border with Ukraine.​​​​​​​