MOSCOW, January 1. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army’s attack on the Russian city of Belgorod was an act of terrorism, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"What happened in Belgorod was definitely an act of terrorism. Why? Because <...> they used a multiple-launch rocket system," Putin said at a meeting with Russian service members.

He noted that a multiple rocket launcher was an indiscriminate weapon. "They used this sort of weapon to hit the city center where people were celebrating New Year’s Eve. It was a deliberate attack on civilians, so it cannot be called anything other than an act of terrorism," Putin said.

According to the latest data, the Ukrainian military’s shelling attack on Belgorod killed 24 people and left over 100 wounded.