Counter-terrorism op. in Russia's Belgorod after deadly raid by Ukraine-based militants

Ukraine-based militants have staged a “sabotage” raid on Russia’s border city of Belgorod, killing a woman and injuring eight other civilians while prompting a counter-terrorism operation, its governor declared.

"On the situation in the Graivoron district: the cleaning of the territory by the Ministry of Defense together with law enforcement agencies continues," said Belgorod’s Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in a Telegram post on Tuesday with the Kremlin’s spokesman insisting that the raid was aimed at diverting attention from the victory of Russian forces in capturing the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut a day earlier after a fierce six-month battle.

"I now appeal to the residents of the Graivoron district, who ... temporarily left their homes, it is not possible to return yet," Gladkov added.

The armed intrusion has been confirmed by Kiev, with a spokesman for Ukraine’s Directorate of Intelligence, Andrey Yusov, claiming that it was “exclusively” waged by Russian collaborationist units fighting for Kiev, namely the so-called legion ‘Freedom of Russia’ and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK).

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared on Monday that the Russian Defense Ministry, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Border Service reported to President Vladimir Putin about the attempt to break into the Belgorod region by Ukrainian saboteurs.

"Work is underway to push them out of the Russian territory and destroy this sabotage group,” Peskov added, noting that “there are enough forces and resources on the spot."

The purpose of the sabotage acts, like the one in the Belgorod region, is to divert attention from what is going on in the city of Bakhmut and to minimize the political effect of Ukraine’s loss of city, he underlined.

Belgorod’s governor said on the Telegram messaging app. that, "I now appeal to the residents of the Graivoron district, who ... temporarily left their homes, it is not possible to return yet."

Gladkov further stated that several people were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds and a kindergarten caught fire after shelling in the Grayvoronsky district of the city.

Ukrainian 'sabotage group' mounted attack across border: Russian regional governor

A Ukrainian "sabotage group" has carried out a cross-border attack in Russia

The raid was reportedly similar to an earlier incursion into Russia’s Bryansk Region in early March that left two Russian civilians dead, with the RDK claiming responsibility for it.

Western news outlets also cited militant groups called "the Freedom of Russia Legion" and "the Russian Volunteer Corps" as claiming on Monday that they "liberated" the town of Kozinka in Belgorod and were now entering the town of Grayvoron.

Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022 as a national security measure against persisting eastern expansion of the US-led NATO military alliance.

Russia views the alliance’s efforts to make Ukraine a member and to deploy missiles close to its borders as a direct threat to Russian territory.

The West has supplied Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars worth of advance weaponry since the onset of the conflict with the stated objective of prolonging the war and keeping Russian engaged in a protracted conflict.

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