MOSCOW, Aug 31 —Two Ukrainian “saboteurs” were killed and five captured during an incursion into the region of Bryansk, a Russian official said today.
Russian regions bordering Ukraine have reported repeated shelling and attacks from Kyiv’s forces, including occasional cross-border incursions.
Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said that a group of Ukrainian special forces tried to carry out a series of “terrorist acts on military and energy infrastructure facilities” on Wednesday.
“In the course of operational and combat measures in the Navlinsky district, two militants were liquidated, five were detained, three of whom were wounded,” he said in a post on social media.
The Navlinsky district is some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Bogomaz said that the group used US-made automatic rifles and NATO-standard ammunition and grenades to carry out the attack, sharing an image of what appeared to be seized weapons.
He said in a later post that three drones were shot down over the region Thursday, and that there were no casualties.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed it had “suppressed” Wednesday’s border incursion in a statement, and said it was looking at “criminal proceedings”.
Moscow has repeatedly claimed that Ukrainian forces have used Western-supplied weapons to carry out strikes and occasional incursions into Russian territory, a claim that Kyiv denies.
In June, the nearby region of Belgorod was rocked by the largest incursion since the beginning of the offensive in Ukraine, with Moscow claiming it killed dozens of pro-Ukraine militants.
Drones and shelling were used in the assault, raising questions about the strength of Russia’s border defences. — AFP
