At least two Ukraine-based armed groups purporting to be made up of Russians opposed to the Kremlin, have launched an incursion across Russia’s western border.
The Freedom of Russia Legion and the Siberian Battalion both announced on their Telegram pages that they had launched attacks into Russia from Ukraine.
The Freedom of Russia Legion said in its Telegram post, “We will take our land from the regime centimetre by centimetre.”
The post also appeared to refer to the upcoming Russian election, saying, “The people will vote for whom they want, not for whom they have to. Russians will live freely.”
The claims could not be independently verified.
In the past, Russian officials have cast the groups as puppets of the Ukrainian military and U.S Central Intelligence Agency, which Moscow says are trying to foment chaos in Russia.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence, disclosed that the groups were conducting the operation on Russian territory independently of Ukraine.
Yusov stated that a third group, the Russian Volunteer Corps, also participated in the operation.
The Freedom of Russia legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps have previously claimed responsibility for other cross-border raids into Russia from Ukraine.
Also on Tuesday, Russia reported Ukrainian drone strikes.
A fuel depot in the western Russian city of Oryol was hit by a drone strike, causing a fire, the Regional Governor, Andrey Klychkov, said early on Tuesday.
It was one of several Ukrainian attacks overnight.
“A fuel and energy complex facility was attacked. Special services are working on the spot to contain the fire. There were no casualties,” Klychkov posted on the messaging app, Telegram.
According to an emergency services official quoted by a Russian state news agency, a tank with oil products caught fire.
An oil processing unit in the town of Kstovo in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region was also on fire after a drone attack, Gleb Nikitin, Governor of the region, announced.
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin disclosed that Russia’s air defense systems also destroyed a Ukraine-launched drone flying towards Moscow.
Though it was brought down well south of the city center, the drone was close to Zhukovsky Airport, one of Mocow’s four international airports.
Ukrainian drones also attacked the Russian region of Belgorod, near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, on Monday night, causing no injuries.
Russia Security Service Denies Incursion
Russia’s FSB security service denied that Ukraine-based armed groups had managed to break across into Russian territory.
Russia said its force prevented crossborder incursions from Ukraine on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, and forced the attackers to retreat with significant losses, Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement.
The Russian defence ministry said that tanks and armoured personnel carriers were used to target several locations on the Russian side of the border.
It said Russian troops used missiles, artillery and air forces to repel the attacks.
Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant said that it was working normally after Ukrainian drone attacks on the region.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces downed 25 Ukrainian drones over seven different regions.
Separately, a Russian news agency cited the FSB as Russian forces had killed 100 people and destroyed multiple armoured vehicles destroyed when fighting off attempted incursions.
The Kremlin added that the Russian military is doing everything necessary with regards to Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on Russian territory and remains on alert.
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