KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 Russia launched a record 90 Shahed-type drones across Ukraine during the early hours of the new year, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would 鈥渋ntensify鈥 its attacks on its neighbor.
Speaking during a New Year's Day visit to a military hospital, Putin said Ukraine could expect more such strikes after shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod that and wounded more than 100 others.
鈥淭hey want to intimidate us and create uncertainty within our country. We will intensify strikes. Not a single crime against our civilian population will go unpunished,鈥 the Russian leader said, describing the barrage of Belgorod as a 鈥渢errorist act.鈥
Russia has blamed Ukraine for Saturday's attack, which was one of the deadliest to take place on Russian soil since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started more than 22 months ago. Russian officials said the death toll stood at 25 as of Monday, including five children.
Cities across western Russia regularly have come under since May, although Ukrainian officials never acknowledge responsibility for strikes on Russian territory or the Crimean Peninsula.
Putin accused Western nations of using Ukraine to try and 鈥減ut Russia in its place.鈥 While vowing retribution, he insisted Russia would only target military infrastructure in Ukraine.
鈥淥f course, we can hit public squares in Kyiv and in any other Ukrainian city,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 understand 鈥 I鈥檓 boiling with rage 鈥 but do we need to hit civilians? No. We are hitting military targets, and that鈥檚 what we will keep doing.鈥
Both Ukraine and Russia have on explosive droves during the war. The wave of Russian attacks in Ukraine continued throughout the day Monday.
A 15-year-old boy was killed and seven people wounded after falling debris from one of 87 downed drones hit a residential building in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa, the head of the region鈥檚 military administration, Oleh Kiper, said. Debris also sparked a number of small fires, including at the city鈥檚 port.
Drone strikes and artillery fire also killed three people in Ukraine鈥檚 Kherson, Kharkiv and Sumy regions, including a 73-year-old woman.
In the western city of Lviv, Russian attacks severely damaged a museum dedicated to Roman Shukhevych, a controversial Ukrainian nationalist and military commander who fought for Ukrainian independence during World War II. University buildings in the town of Dubliany were also damaged, although no casualties were reported.
Writing on social media, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the strike as 鈥渁 war for our history鈥 that was 鈥渟ymbolic and cynical.鈥
Meanwhile, four people were killed and 13 more wounded following Ukrainian shelling on Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, according to the region鈥檚 Kremlin-installed leader, Denis Pushilin. Russian state media reported that a journalist was among the victims, but provided no further details.
One person was also killed and another wounded in shelling on the Russian border town of Shebekino, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
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