Shelling in the center of Belgorod, a Russian border city, on Saturday resulted in the deaths of 21 people, including three children, local officials have reported. The attack, one of the deadliest on Russian soil since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine 22 months ago, left an additional 110 people wounded.

Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the high number of casualties, labeling the attack as one of the deadliest in recent memory. Russian authorities swiftly accused Kyiv of carrying out the strike, which occurred a day after a prolonged aerial bombardment across Ukraine claimed the lives of at least 41 civilians.

Social media platforms were flooded with images of Belgorod, depicting burning cars and plumes of black smoke rising from damaged buildings. Air raid sirens added to the panic and chaos in the city. Notably, one strike hit close to a public ice rink situated in the heart of the city. While previous attacks on Belgorod have occurred, they have seldom taken place during daylight hours and have resulted in fewer casualties.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that the ammunition used in the attack included Czech-made Vampire rockets and Olkha missiles equipped with cluster-munition warheads. However, no additional information was provided, and the claims could not be independently verified by The Associated Press.

Following the devastating attack, Russia's Defense Ministry vowed that this crime will not go unpunished. President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the situation while the country's health minister, Mikhail Murashko, was directed to join a delegation of medical and rescue personnel traveling from Moscow to Belgorod.

In response to the strike, Russian diplomats called for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, accused Britain and the United States of inciting Kyiv to carry out what she termed a "terrorist attack." Zakharova also blamed EU countries for supplying weapons to Ukraine, holding them accountable.

Confirming the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian sources reported that 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia were shot down across various regions in Ukraine. Meanwhile, local officials in Ukraine reported that three people were killed by Russian missiles in separate incidents in the Kherson, Stepnohirsk, and Chernihiv regions.

The shelling of Belgorod came amidst a series of cross-border attacks that have targeted cities across western Russia since May, with Russian officials consistently pointing fingers at Kyiv for these relentless assaults. Ukrainian officials, however, have not accepted responsibility for attacks on Russian territory or the Crimean Peninsula.

Friday's onslaught by Moscow forces was described as the largest aerial bombardment of the war. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 39 people, with over 160 others sustaining injuries and many becoming trapped under rubble. Infrastructure such as a maternity hospital, apartment blocks, and schools were also damaged.

The ongoing aerial attacks by Russia have raised concerns among neighboring countries, including Poland. Polish defense forces reported on Friday that an unknown object had entered the country's airspace before disappearing from radars, attributing it to a possible Russian missile. Russia's charge d'affaires in Poland, Andrei Ordash, stated that Moscow would not respond to the accusation until concrete evidence of an airspace violation was provided by Warsaw.

As tensions escalate between Russia and Ukraine, the international community eagerly awaits further developments and hopes for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.