"Fierce fighting"

Russians report “fierce fighting” in their own country

Russian fighters from a pro-Ukrainian militia have reportedly captured a village near the border on Russian territory. The "Freedom for Russia" militia stated on Telegram that its fighters had first destroyed an armored Russian military vehicle in the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region - and then conquered the village.

At least two armed groups based in Ukraine reportedly crossed the border on Tuesday and carried out attacks in Russia from Ukraine. "The village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region is completely controlled by the Russian liberation forces," the "Freedom for Russia" militia stated online.

The Russian army is withdrawing from the village and leaving behind heavy weapons. The governor of Kursk confirmed the attack and reported one minor casualty, but denied any "breakthrough" by the attackers.

Ministry and FSB contradict each other
The FSB, the domestic intelligence service responsible for border security, calls reports of an intrusion across the border simply untrue. The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, sounds somewhat different. It says that the sabotage squads from Ukraine first fired on villages near the border during the night. They then advanced with tanks and armored vehicles at three points in the Belgorod region. However, the attacks were repelled. In the morning, the attempted attack on Tyotkino in the Kursk region also failed.

Settlement under the control of Putin's opponents?
As Ilya Ponomaryov, a former member of the Russian Duma who lives in Ukraine, wrote on Telegram, there is said to be fighting in the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region. The settlement of Losovaya Rudka in the Belgorod region is said to be under the control of Putin's opponents. Videos are shown of a tank in a village, among other things. 

Connection with the presidential election?
The "Freedom for Russia Legion" and the "Siberian Battalion" are said to be anti-regime Russians - their claims on social media cannot be verified at first. In their video messages, the masked fighters in Ukrainian uniforms called for the presidential election in Russia next Sunday to be ignored.

"Criminal regime cannot be toppled peacefully"
The "Siberian Battalion" publishes videos of fighters on Telegram and writes: "We have said before that it will not be possible to overthrow the criminal dictatorial regime in the Russian Federation peacefully."

"It can only be eliminated with a weapon in hand. Tonight we have begun to fulfill this promise. Fierce fighting is taking place on the territory of the Russian Federation." The article ends with a call to join "all liberation forces".

No official action by Ukraine
The spokesperson for the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Andriy Yusov, emphasized to Kiev media that the units were made up exclusively of Russian citizens. "On the territory of the Russian Federation, they act absolutely autonomously, independently and implement their socio-political program," the secret service representative told the internet portal "Ukrajinska Pravda".

The background to this is the presidential election planned for next Sunday in Russia. Incumbent Vladimir Putin intends to be re-elected for a further six years. In spring 2023, several attempts by Russian opponents of Putin to establish themselves in the Russian-Ukrainian border region failed. Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for over two years.