Although Kiev has not claimed responsibility, the Ukrainian army is believed to have succeeded in attacking Russia’s regions bordering its own country. The Russian domestic intelligence service is now reporting increased shelling in the Bryansk region, which it describes as a “terrorist crime”.
The Russian domestic secret service FSB complains about an increase in terrorist crimes in the country. At a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC), FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov blamed the crimes on Ukrainian secret services supported by the United States and other countries. The border regions with Ukraine are particularly affected, said Bortnikov, according to a statement by the committee. There are explosions almost every day.
In the Bryansk region, the authorities reported shelling from the Ukrainian side. Industrial plants, nuclear power plants, fuel depots and energy infrastructure as well as transport routes must be better protected against possible terrorist attacks and acts of sabotage in the course of the increased danger posed by Russia’s war against Ukraine, it was said at the meeting. Bortnikov said 123 terrorist crimes had been prevented since the beginning of the year, including 64 attacks. More than 50 underground gunsmiths have been dug up.
In addition, 74 organized criminal groups were dissolved. Since February 24, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, which is fighting for its existence with Western weapons. In response to this invasion, Russia repeatedly complains that Ukraine has attacked its territory, for example with drones or artillery fire.
Ukraine, on the other hand, describes Russia as a “terror state” because of the war, which currently includes attacks on energy infrastructure in particular. Kyiv calls on the international community to classify Moscow as a sponsor of terrorism.
According to British intelligence services, Russia recently began to expand its positions along the international border with Ukraine and in the Belgorod region. As reported by the Ministry of Defense in London, the governor of Belgorod announced that he would set up local “self-defense units”. According to the British, there have been reports of digging of trenches in Belgorod since at least April 2022. This time, however, the new systems will probably be more sophisticated systems to defend against Ukrainian attacks.
There have also been several drone attacks on Russian military bases in recent weeks. Russia blamed Kiev, but has not yet commented on the incidents. The US said it neither encouraged nor enabled Kiev to attack Russia. Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced that it would take “necessary” measures to protect the country from Ukrainian attacks.
