Russia says it killed 234 fighters while thwarting incursion from Ukraine
- Anti-Kremlin fighters said they carried out cross-border incursions into western Russia
- Russia’s defence ministry says attackers were beaten back, and dozens were killed
Ukrainian long-range drones smashed into two oil facilities deep inside Russia on Tuesday, officials said, while an armed incursion claimed by Ukraine-based Russian opponents of the Kremlin unnerved a border region just days before Russia’s presidential election.
The attack by waves of drones across eight regions of Russia displayed Kyiv’s expanding technological capacity as the war extends into its third year.
The cross-border ground assault also weakened President Vladimir Putin’s argument that life in Russia has been unaffected by the war, though he remains all but certain to win another six-year term after eliminating all opposition.
The Russian Defence Ministry said that Moscow’s military and security forces killed 234 fighters while thwarting the incursion.
In a statement, the ministry blamed the attack on the “Kyiv regime” and “Ukraine’s terrorist formations”, insisting that the Russian military and border forces were able to stop the attackers and avert a cross-border raid. It also said the attackers lost seven tanks and five armoured vehicles.