Russia launches probe into Belgorod attack

MOSCOW/KYIV — Russian investigators said on Tuesday they had opened a terrorism investigation after what they said was a cross-border attack on Russia's Belgorod region.

"A criminal case has been opened over an attack on settlements in the Belgorod region," the Investigative Committee, which probes major cases, said in a statement.

Investigators said they opened a probe into a number of crimes, including a "terror attack", attempted murder, destruction of or damage to property, and illegal circulation of weapons and explosives.

The statement said that representatives of armed Ukrainian groups attacked the district of Graivoron in the southern region of Belgorod.

"Residential and administrative buildings and civilian infrastructure facilities came under mortar and artillery fire," the Investigative Committee said. "Several civilians were injured as a result of these criminal acts."

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had surrounded the enemy fighters and defeated them.

It said over 70 Ukrainian fighters had been killed, and four armored vehicles and five pickup trucks destroyed.

"The remnants of the nationalists were pushed back to Ukrainian territory, where they continued to be hit by gunfire until they were completely eliminated," it added.

Two Russian paramilitary groups are behind an operation in the Belgorod region, which aims to create a "security strip" to protect Ukrainian civilians, Ukraine's broadcaster Suspilne reported on Monday, citing a military spokesperson.

Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has said Ukraine was not involved in the situation in the Belgorod region.

Moscow on Tuesday voiced deep concern over the matter.

"What happened yesterday is a cause for deep concern and once again confirms that Ukrainian militants continue their activities against our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

The region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Monday that a Ukrainian Armed Forces "sabotage and reconnaissance group" has entered the Belgorod region.

Gladkov said on Tuesday that drones were shot down by the air defense system over the region.

The Belgorod region, located next to the Kharkiv region, has recently been a center of hostilities.

The region has been under a counterterrorist operation since Monday, which provides for special measures and temporary restrictions to ensure security.

The Kremlin said the cross-border attack aimed to distract attention from Bakhmut, which Russian forces claim to have captured in its entirety. But Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on Monday that the battle for Bakhmut continues.

Agencies - Xinhua