In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Russia’s Belgorod region, located on the border with Ukraine, was the target of multiple drone strikes as Russian security forces responded to an armed incursion by fighters from Ukraine.
According to the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the attacks caused no casualties. The drones hit two houses in the district capital, Graivoron, and also hit an administrative building and a house in the village of Borisovka.
The armed incursion in the Belgorod region occurred the previous day and left eight people injured. In response, Russia implemented an “anti-terrorist” regime and evacuated civilians to repel the attack. The Russian Investigative Committee opened an investigation into the “terrorist act.”
In recent weeks, there have been several attacks in this border region, but this was the most significant, with shells hitting several villages. These events demonstrate the vulnerability of Russian defenses.
Importantly, this is the first time that Russian authorities have reacted in this way since the start of their offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. The Russian security services (FSB) established the “legal regime of anti-terrorist operation zone” in the region, granting increased powers to the authorities to conduct armed operations, checks, and evacuations. This protocol was previously used in Chechnya from 1999 to 2009.
This raid is attributed to the Ukrainian military, although Ukraine has denied its involvement. The operation was claimed on a Telegram channel allegedly belonging to the “Freedom for Russia Legion,” a group of Russians fighting on the Ukrainian side who previously claimed to have conducted raids in the same region.
Russian authorities are continuing the security operation in the Graivoron district, with the Defense Ministry and law enforcement agencies carrying out search tasks. The governor has urged evacuees not to return to their homes for the time being.
Russia has experienced an increase in sabotage, bombings, and drone attacks in recent months, which are blamed on Ukraine, although Ukraine has not taken responsibility for them.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the situation, and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, believes it is an attempt by the Ukrainian government to “divert attention” from the fall of Bakhmut, a town in eastern Ukraine captured by Russian forces over the past weekend.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied the loss of Bakhmut, and the Ukrainian military claims it still controls a small area.