“Missile danger in areas where the air alert is on! Threat of launching cruise missiles from Tu-95MS aircraft. A total of 16 Tu-95MS strategic bombers are in the air,” news agency AFP quoted air force's?message on Telegram.

This air alert came hours after the Ukrainian military warned that about 20 Russian strategic bombers were airborne.

"After takeoffs detected from the far northern Olenya airfield and southern Engels airbase, there were multiple Tupolev Tu-95MS bombers in Russia’s airspace," military officials said on Telegram, as mentioned in an AFP report. Another four Tu-22M3 bombers had departed from Russia’s Shaikovka airfield near the Belarus border, Ukraine military said.

Russia Launches Record Number of Drones in Ukraine

Russia launched a record 90 Shahed-type drones across Ukraine during the early hours January 1, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying his country would “intensify” its attacks on its neighbour.

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 killed more than two dozen people and wounded more than 100 others.

“They 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,” news agency AP quoted Putin as saying. Putin?termed the barrage of Belgorod as a “terrorist act”.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for Saturday's attack, which was one of the worst in terms of casualties 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.
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