What we know about the ongoing conflict between the two Russian regions

Drones rain in Russia this Tuesday March 12, 2024. Russia’s Freedom Legion and Siberia Battalion announced on their Telegram pages that they had launched attacks from Ukraine. The ground offensive launched by two pro-Ukrainian Russian units followed multiple drone strikes launched during the night and morning against targets in Russia.

An attack linked to the Russian presidential election

was joined byAFP This morning, Alexei Baranovsky, representing the Freedom of Russia Legion, confirmed that clashes are ongoing in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. “Russian army loses many armored vehicles”He said without elaborating on the location of the fight.

He further indicated that the attack was planned because of the Russian presidential election scheduled for March 15 to 17 and should see the re-election of Vladimir Putin in the absence of opposition. “Today we are expressing ourselves, taking arms in hand and expressing what we think about this regime, about these elections. »

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Russia denied the border “violation”.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Russia’s armed forces and security service – the FSB – had “An attempt by the Kiev regime to break the border region of the Russian Federation in the Belgorod and Kursk regions was thwarted”reports world .

Additionally, the official RIA Novosti news agency claims that Russian forces intercepted “Since March 10, several border violation attempts by Ukrainian groups in the Belgorod and Kursk regions”. And it adds up “100 Enemy Soldiers” were killed “Six tanks, Caesar cannons, 20 armored vehicles” were destroyed, adding “Strikes continue against armed formations in the Ukrainian border area”.. TASS, another official press agency, announced minor losses: “About 60 Ukrainian terrorists, 5 tanks and an armored personnel carrier. » According to TASS, “There was no violation of the border of the Russian Federation. »

Belgorod targeted, Kursk in danger

At midday, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported “shot”

Targeting the border village of Prelacy, stating that material damage and high voltage lines were affected,AFP. continued TelegramHe indicated that the drone “Belgorod city administration building hit”leaving two wounded and others “Crash on shopping center roof”without any casualties.

The Russian Freedom Legion has claimed control of a Russian village located near the Ukrainian border, it addedAFP. “The village of Teotki in the Kursk region is completely controlled by Russian liberation forcesThe unit said on a telegram. (Vladimir) Putin’s army quickly leaves the village, leaving positions and heavy weapons behind. »

Moreover, authorities ordered the closure of schools in the Russian city of Kursk, the capital of the eponymous region, following an attack from Ukrainian territory. “Due to recent events, I have decided that school children will teach classes remotely”Quoted by Igor Koutsak, mayor of Kursk, wrote on Telegram world .

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Drone attacks in numbers

According to Russian authorities, Ukrainian drone strikes overnight specifically targeted the two Russian cities of Orel and Kstovo, about 160 km and 800 km from the Ukrainian border, and set fire to energy depots there.

These airstrikes continued throughout the day. Quoted by world The Russian Defense Ministry reported about fifteen attacks targeting the Kursk region. “In one hour, between 12:40 pm and 1:40 pm (between 10:40 am and 11:40 am Paris time), attempts to carry out terrorist attacks using fixed-wing drones against installations on the territory of the Kiev regime. The Russian Federation was thwarted »The authorities announced in a press release.