Russia Says It Has Eliminated Militants Infiltrating Ukraine | War in Ukraine

On Monday, militants who crossed into Russia from Ukraine attacked several locations in the Belgorod region, which came under artillery fire and drone strikes, forcing residents to evacuate.

The Kremlin has expressed its opinion Deep concern And called to do Too much effort Attacks on Russian soil have increased in recent months to prevent these incursions, raising questions about the strength of Moscow’s defenses.

A still image from a video showing an undisclosed location of a Russian airstrike against Ukrainian militants in the Belgorod region has been released by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Photo: Reuters/Russian Ministry of Defense

The Russian Defense Ministry pledged on Tuesday that it had thwarted the infiltration after an unprecedented scale of operations that specifically mobilized aircraft and artillery.

” Nationalist organizations were suppressed and suppressed. »

The remaining nationalists were pushed back into Ukraine, where strikes took place […] Continued until their total eliminationThe ministry again claimed that he had killed More than 70 Ukrainian terrorists.

These reports were not immediately verified by an independent source.

A civilian was killed

Unfortunately, there were still casualties. Civilians from Kosinka village were killed by Ukrainian armed forces, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a telegram. Kosinga is one of the areas where militant groups have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Russia says it attacked militants who infiltrated from Ukraine on the Belgorod border yesterday. Kyiv denies any involvement in this incursion into Russian territory, the largest since the start of the war. Story by Lise Villeneuve.

Russia has accused Kyiv of being behind the attack, but Ukrainian officials deny any involvement.

We do not wage war on foreign landsUkraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Khanna Maliur made the pledge on Tuesday. Russian internal crisis.

The attack was carried out on a Telegram channel pretending to belong to Freedom Army for RussiaA group of Russians fighting on the Ukrainian side had already said they were behind previous incursions into the same region.

Another similar group will participate in this activity Russian Volunteer Corps.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman

Photo: Reuters/Sputnik Photo Agency

What happened [lundi] Incites deep concern and proves once again that Ukrainian militants continue their operations against our countryKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

This requires a lot of effort from us, and these efforts must be sustained and special military action [en Ukraine] It continues in a way that will never happen againhe added.

Belgorod’s governor, Vyacheslav Kladkov, announced that several places would be included, including Greyvoron, the capital of the district of the same name. A lot Using bombers, artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers and drones.

Nine locations were evacuated, and at least 12 civilians were injured in total, the governor said.

In response to the incursion, Russia imposed a regime on Monday Anti-Terrorism A move to strengthen authorities’ powers to carry out armed operations, control civilians or evacuate people throughout the Belgorod region. This regime was used in Chechnya from 1999 to 2009.

Russia’s intelligence agency, which is responsible for major investigations, announced on Tuesday that it was launching an investigation act of terrorism.

As a vast Ukrainian counter-offensive looms, the Russian territory has been the target of increasing acts of sabotage, bombings and drone strikes in recent months and weeks, but it has never been claimed by Ukraine, which wants to fuel the actions of Russian partisans. .

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not talk about the intrusion, restraining himself to talking more generally about the conflict in Ukraine at a formal ceremony at the Kremlin on Tuesday.

” Yes, Russia is facing difficult times, but today is a special time for our national integration […] Moscow protects the Russian population of the Ukrainian Donbass. »

On Monday, his spokesman said he had been informed of the incursion into the Belgorod region.

On Monday, the Kremlin accused Kyiv of being behind the attack divert attention Russian forces are said to have captured the city of Bakhmaut in eastern Ukraine.

Russian forces this weekend claimed full control of the devastated city, the scene of the longest and deadliest battle of the conflict, where both sides suffered heavy casualties.

Kiev denied Bachmouth’s loss, repeating Tuesday Battles for the city […] Continue.

In addition, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the front lines in the eastern Donetsk region on Tuesday, where he met with soldiers.