May 22 (Portal) – The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Monday that a Ukrainian army “sabotage group” had entered Russian territory in the Graivoron district, which borders Ukraine.
In a statement on Telegram, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the Russian army, border guards, the Presidential Guard and the FSB security service took action to repel the incursion.
He said no civilians were harmed and no evacuation was underway.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the raid and was working to evict the “saboteurs,” state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Earlier, the Telegram channel Baza, which is linked to the Russian security services, published footage apparently showing a Ukrainian armored vehicle advancing on the Graivoron border checkpoint.
It said there was evidence of fighting in three settlements on the main road from Ukraine to Russia. Telegram channel Open Belgorod reported that electricity and water had been cut off in several villages.
Ukrainian media quoted Ukrainian military intelligence as saying that the Legion of Freedom of Russia and the Russian Volunteer Corps, both made up of Russian citizens, were behind the attack.
A group calling itself the Legion of Freedom of Russia, which is said to be planning attacks inside Russia, said on Twitter it had “completely liberated” the border town of Kozinka and its foremost units had reached the Graivoron district center further east.
“Keep going. Russia will be free!” it wrote.
Earlier on Monday, the group released a video showing five heavily armed fighters: “We are Russians, like you. We are people like you. We want our children to grow up in peace,” said one on camera. “It’s time to put an end to the Kremlin’s dictatorship.”
Portal could not verify the reports and the Ukrainian military was not immediately available for comment.
Portal reporting; Edited by Kevin Liffey
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