In the Russian region of Bryansk, an incident has occurred that has generated tensions in the already conflictive situation between Russia and Ukraine. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, there has been a “terrorist attack” on his territory by saboteurs, resulting in the death of one person and the taking of hostages. For its part, the Ukrainian government has denied the accusations and declared that this was a “provocation” by Moscow to justify an increased offensive. The group called the Russian Volunteer Corps has claimed the action and denied firing on civilians.
The Russian president has convened his Security Council to discuss the matter, and there has been speculation that measures such as changing the status of the war from “special military operation” to “anti-terrorist operation” may be taken. Putin has canceled an official trip to keep abreast of the situation and receive reports from law enforcement agencies.
Bryansk oblast governor Alexander Bogomaz has been the first to report what has happened, stating that a reconnaissance and sabotage group penetrated from Ukraine into the village of Liubechane in Klimovsky district and fired at a moving car, killing a resident and injuring a 10-year-old boy. In addition, there has been a drone attack on a residential building in another village, Sushany. Although some Russian media have spoken of more deaths and hostage kidnappings in both villages, this information has not been confirmed by the authorities.
The Ukrainian government has denied knowledge of any incidents in the Russian border regions and has suggested the possibility that Russian anti-government partisans may have been responsible for the action. On the other hand, the Russian Volunteer Corps group has claimed responsibility for the action and called for fighting the Kremlin in a post on a Telegram channel.