On Monday, fighters who entered Russia from Ukraine attacked several localities in the Belgorod region, which also came under artillery fire and drone strikes, forcing residents to flee.
The Kremlin has expressed its opinion deep concern
and called to do more effort
to prevent these attacks, amid a surge in attacks on Russian soil in recent months that have raised questions about the strength of Moscow’s defenses.
A still from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry showing a Russian airstrike against Ukrainian fighter jets in the Belgorod region at an undisclosed location.
Photo: Reuters/Russian Defense Ministry
The Russian Defense Ministry assured on Tuesday that it had repelled this incursion after an operation of an unprecedented scale, which mobilized aviation and artillery in particular.
” The nationalist formations were blocked and crushed. »
The rest of the nationalists were pushed back to the territory of Ukraine, where the strikes […] continued until their total elimination
the Ministry said again, claiming to have killed more than 70 Ukrainian terrorists
.
These statements could not be immediately verified from an independent source.
A civilian killed
Unfortunately, there were still casualties. A civilian from the village of Kozinka was killed by the Ukrainian armed forces
, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. Kozinka is one of the localities where the group of fighters claimed responsibility for the attack.
Russia claims to have eliminated fighters infiltrating from Ukraine who attacked the border region of Belgorod yesterday. Kiev denies any involvement in this incursion into Russian territory, the largest since the start of the war. The story of Lise Villeneuve.
Russia has accused Kiev of being behind the attack, but Ukrainian authorities deny any involvement.
We do not fight wars on foreign lands
assured on Tuesday the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Ganna Maliar, who sees it as a Russian internal crisis
.
The attack was claimed on a Telegram channel that presents itself as belonging The Freedom Legion for Russia
a group of Russians fighting on the Ukrainian side who had already claimed responsibility for earlier incursions into the same region.
Another similar group would participate in the operation, viz Russian Volunteer Corps
.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
Photo: Reuters/Sputnik Photo Agency
What happened [lundi] causes deep concern and demonstrates once again that Ukrainian fighters continue their activities against our country
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
This requires a greater effort from us, this effort will continue to be made and the special military operation [en Ukraine] continues so it doesn’t happen again
he added.
The governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, stated that several localities, including Grayvoron, the capital of the district of the same name, had been hit many
bombardments, using artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers and drones.
Nine localities were also evacuated, said the governor, who reported a total of at least 12 wounded civilians.
In response to the attack, Russia decreed a regime on Monday counter-terrorism
throughout the Belgorod region, a measure that strengthens authorities’ powers to carry out armed operations, control civilians or even evacuate populations. This regime had been used in Chechnya from 1999 to 2009.
The Russian Investigative Committee, which is in charge of the main investigations, announced on Tuesday the opening of an investigation into act of terrorism
.
Weaver of an extensive Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian territory has in recent months and weeks been the target of an increasing number of sabotage, bombings and drone strikes attributed to Kiev but never claimed by Ukraine, which prefers to incite actions by Russian partisans. .
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not speak about the intervention, limiting himself to speaking in a very general way about the conflict in Ukraine during a decoration ceremony in the Kremlin on Tuesday.
” Yes, Russia is facing difficult times, but today is a special time for our national consolidation […] Moscow defends the Russian population in the Ukrainian Donbass. »
On Monday, his spokesman said he had been informed of the incursion into the Belgorod region.
The Kremlin on Monday accused Kiev of being behind this attack for that purpose To divert attention
of the capture claimed by Russian forces in the town of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine.
Russian forces this weekend claimed to have captured the entirety of this devastated city, the scene of the conflict’s longest and deadliest battle, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
Kyiv denied the loss of Bakhmout and said so again on Tuesday fighting for the city […] Continue
.
In addition, on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the front line in the Donetsk region in the east, where he met with soldiers.
