Moscow said yesterday it had routed and killed scores of ‘Ukrainian nationalists’ who crossed into Russia from Ukraine after two days of combat, in what appeared to be one of the biggest incursions of its kind of the 15-month-old war.
There was no immediate independent confirmation that the fighting had ended, but the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said the anti-terrorism measures he introduced after Monday’s attack had been lifted.
And one of two groups claiming to be behind the raid said in a post on social media: “One day we will return to stay.”
The fighting forced Russia to evacuate towns along the border with northeast Ukraine. Russia has blamed Ukraine for the attack, which Kyiv has denied. The two groups that claimed responsibility describe themselves as Russian armed dissidents.
The Russian military said it had killed more than 70 Ukrainian nationalists and destroyed four armoured vehicles. There was no independent confirmation of those losses.
Russian forces had surrounded the enemy fighters and defeated them with ‘air strikes, artillery fire and active action by border units’, the defence ministry said.
“The remnants of the nationalists were pushed back to Ukrainian territory, where they continued to be hit by gunfire until they were completely eliminated,” it added.
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said one elderly woman had died during the evacuation. On Monday, he said at least eight people had been wounded, several buildings damaged and many residents had left.
The two groups who claimed responsibility, the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), both say they comprise armed Russian fighters seeking to overthrow President Vladimir Putin.
The Legion says it is recognised by Ukraine and its members have fought there against Russian forces. The RVC has claimed responsibility for previous attacks inside Russia, including a cross-border raid in the neighbouring Bryansk region in March.
“Good morning everybody, except Putin’s henchmen. We have met the dawn on liberated territory, and are moving further on,” the Legion said on Telegram.
“Once again, the myth that the citizens of the Russian Federation are safe and the Russian Federation is strong has been destroyed,” it said in a later post.
The RVC said: “One day we will come to stay. Meanwhile, the partisan movement is not bound by the framework of traditional combat operations.”
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