UNITED NATIONS, December 30. /TASS/. The United Nations Security Council will gather for a Russia-requested meeting over the shelling attack on Belgorod at 0:00 Moscow time on December 31 (9:00 p.m. GMT on December 30), Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky said.
"In the long run, the meeting was appointed at midnight Moscow time (4:00 p.m. New York time) today. UN officials are unable to organize it earlier technically. Let us wait and see is the Czech have courage (and conscience) enough to join us. In other cases, EU member nations are queueing to take part in meetings on Ukraine requested by Western delegations," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
He said earlier that Russia had requested a UN Security Council meeting at 3:00 p.m. New York time (8:00 p.m. GMT) and demanded that the Czech permanent representative be present "to explain his country’s supplies of weapons, which are used to kill civilians."
Ukrainian troops have been shelling Belgorod and the Belgorod Region since late Friday. The latest strike was delivered on downtown Belgorod with the use of cluster munitions from Czech-made multiple rocket launchers. At least 14 people, including two children, were killed and 108 others were injured. According to the Russian defense ministry, air defense systems intercepted both missiles and most of the projectiles. Otherwise, the consequences would have been much more serious, it added.