An elite unit tried to launch a raid into Belgorod Region but was foiled, according to a report
The Russian military has repelled a largescale attempted Ukrainian incursion into Belgorod Region, Evgeny Poddubny, a correspondent for the Russia 1 TV channel, has reported. The Defense Ministry in Moscow has not yet officially commented on the claims.
The purported attack, said to have taken place on Sunday and involving tanks and artillery, targeted the region’s Grayvoronsky District on the border with Ukraine, Poddubny wrote in a post on Telegram.
It was carried out by the Artan special forces unit of the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR), the reporter added. Troops were supported by five tanks, ten armored personnel carriers, pickup trucks with mounted heavy machine guns, self-propelled guns and multiple rocket launchers, he claimed.
The armed group tried to use the woods for cover as they moved forward, but could not avoid detection by the Russian military, Poddubny wrote. Kiev’s troops were hit by artillery, aviation and drones as soon as they began assembling into battle formation, the report read.
As a result of intense fire, around 70 Ukrainian troops were either killed or severely wounded, while five tanks, three howitzers, one multiple rocket launcher and several pickups and APCs were destroyed, according to Poddubny.
The correspondent published an almost four-minute-long video which he said showed the hardware being struck.
Russian forces used weapons including Lancet loitering munitions and FAB guided aviation bombs to repel the incursion, Poddubny wrote, adding that the clip contained footage of “Islander ballistic missiles striking French [Caesar] howitzers.”
“The enemy’s plan was thwarted. The elite GUR unit screwed up big time,” Poddubny added.
He described the attempted raid as a “military adventure” aimed at “creating panic [in Russia], discrediting the military and political leadership, and disrupting preparations for the [presidential] election.” According to Poddubny, more Ukrainian attempts to destabilize Russia can be expected in the run-up to the vote on March 15-17.
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