Pro-Ukraine fighters from Russia have attacked positions inside Russian territory near the border with Ukraine.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, some fighters were killed, while others were pushed back across the border, reported The New York Times.
A group of pro-Ukrainian Russians, the Free Russia Legion (also known as the Freedom of Russia Legion), claimed responsibility for the military operation. On Tuesday, a group representative reportedly stated that while Ukrainian military officers were aware of the planned incursion, they did not direct the military action.
Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency, confirmed to CNN that the “operation was carried out by Russian citizens.”
While in Ukraine, the anti-Putin fighters were “part of defense and security forces.” However, they acted as “independent entities” in Russia, said Yusov, per CNN.
The skirmishes in the southwestern Belgorod region damaged numerous residential buildings and a kindergarten, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
While no civilians were killed, at least eight people were injured, according to Gladkov.
“The situation remains extremely tense. A sabotage and reconnaissance group, the Ministry of Defense and all law enforcement agencies have entered the territory to carry out combat missions to protect our country,” Gladkov said during a live-stream address on May 22, per CNN.
According to Gladkov, the local government is now going house to house to secure the safety of the residents.
The Free Russia Legion is a group of anti-Putin fighters allied with the Ukrainian army, numbering in the hundreds.
Aleksey Baranovsky, a representative of the Russian Armed Opposition Political Centre, a political wing of the Free Russia Legion, told CNN that the incursion had begun on Sunday evening.
According to Baranovsky, the group initiated the military operation to “liberate our motherland from the tyranny of Putin,” per CNN.
While reports from the skirmish continue to develop, a Telegram post by the anti-Kremlin group claimed they had “fully liberated the settlement of Kozinka of [the] Belgorod region.”
This is purportedly the first time forces aligned with Ukraine have crossed the border to attack Russian targets.
