Russian militants claim big border incursion from Ukraine
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region on the Ukraine border said Tuesday that drones were shot down Monday by anti-aircraft weapons, but a “counterterrorism operation” continues against what Russian officials call a Ukrainian “sabotage group.”
According to Kyiv, not Ukrainians but Russian groups, called the Liberty of Russian Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps are behind the incursion. The former is a Ukraine-based Russian militia fighting to overthrow President Vladimir Putin. It claimed on Twitter to have “completely liberated” the border town of Kozinka and that its forward units had reached the town of Grayvoron further east.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the purpose of this event was to divert attention away from the Russian mercenary Wagner group’s success in seizing control of Bakhmut.