UNITED NATIONS, December 31. /TASS/. The recent Ukrainian shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod is a premeditated terrorist attack on a peaceful city, Russia’s UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya said.

"It is a premeditated act of terrorism aimed at peaceful citizens. As a result of a pre-planned and carefully plotted shelling of the central part of the city, 18 people have been killed as of now, three of them children," he said at a UN Security Council meeting that was convened by Russia in connection with the shelling.

Nebenzya also accused "US and British consultants who regularly instigate the current Ukrainian government to commit bloody crimes" of involvement in the organization of the attack. The diplomat said the Kiev regime "openly brags about using terrorist methods against both its own and Russian citizens."

"The shelling of populated areas in the Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, Crimea and other Russian regions, the ruthless and blind killings of civilians testify to the agony of the neo-Nazi regime of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky, which is mired in terrorism, lawlessness, corruption and cynicism," he went on to say.

The city of Belgorod and the surrounding region have recently come under shelling. The latest strike was carried out with Czech-made MLRS that fired two rockets with cluster munitions into downtown Belgorod. At least 21 people were killed. Exclusively civilian facilities were hit.