| 2024 Western Russia incursion | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |||||||
 A map of the incursion into Kursk Oblast by the Institute for the Study of War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Russian opposition Ukraine (alleged by Russia, denied by Ukraine) |
 Russia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Political leadership: Ilya Ponomarev Military leadership:  Maximilian Andronnikov Denis Kapustin Vladislav Ammosov | |||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
Freedom of Russia Legion Russian Volunteer Corps Sibir Battalion Separate Special Purpose Battalion |
 National Guard | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Russian claim: 234 fighters killed on March 12[2] | Unknown | ||||||
| 1 civilian wounded[3] | |||||||
On 12 March 2024, Ukrainian-backed Russian anti-government armed groups entered the territory of Belgorod and Kursk Oblasts in Russia from the territory of Ukraine. At least three groups, namely the Freedom of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps and Sibir Battalion participated in the incursion. They claimed control of the settlement of Tyotkino in Kursk Oblast and Lozovaya Rudka in Belgorod Oblast. The Russian defence ministry denied this, claiming it had beaten back the attackers and forced them to retreat.[4] Ukrainian officials have denied involvement in the attacks.
Kursk Oblast was attacked by drones overnight, and shopping centres in Belgorod and schools in Kursk were closed on 14 March due to the attacks.
Timeline
12 March
At 08:00 local time, the "WarGonzo" telegram channel of Russian milblogger Semyon Pegov reported that "armed groups in pickup trucks", supported by mortar and artillery fire, tried to break through the border in Belgorod Oblast. According to the channel, a breakthrough attempt was made from the village of Odnorobivka, Kharkiv Oblast; about 50 people were moving towards Belgorod Oblast. WarGonzo wrote that as a result of the battle, the armed groups retreated to their original positions, where they were "covered with long-range weapons." Pegov suggested that "most likely the terrorist units of the RDK and the Sibir Battalion acted".[5]
Soon, the Freedom of Russia Legion published a video that allegedly showed tanks crossing the border. A video of the battle was also published by the Sibir Battalion, which claims that "fierce fighting is taking place on the territory of the Russian Federation". The channel also posted a video calling for people not to participate in the 2024 Russian presidential election. Former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev, who lives in Ukraine, claimed that the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Sibir Battalion entered Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts "as part of a joint operation."[5]
The attackers said that they had taken over the villages of Tyotkino in Kursk Oblast and Lozovaya Rudka in Belgorod Oblast.[6]
In the evening Russian authorities claimed that the attempts of sabotage groups to infiltrate Russian territory had been prevented. The Russian defence ministry published videos from Tyotkino and Nekhoteyevka, Belgorod Oblast. It also showed a destroyed Ukrainian tank at the border crossing near Nekhoteyevka.[7][8]
13 March
The Freedom of Russia Legion urged civilians in Belgorod and Kursk to evacuate amid them being "forced to inflict fire damage on military positions in Belgorod and Kursk." They also reported to have destroyed a Russian control centre.[9]
In the morning the Legion published a video with "greetings from the liberated part of Tyotkino", announcing a raid deep into the village. However, analysis by Agentstvo showed that the footage was filmed in the Ukrainian border village of Ryzhivka, 300 meters from Tyotkino. A representative of the "Freedom of Russia" legion told Agentstvo that the video with the fighters was indeed recorded on the edge of Ryzhivka, even "before the storming of Tyotkino". According to his data, at the time the video was published, the military were already in Tyotkino, but he could not provide the video from there, explaining that he risked calling fire on the fighters. There was no independent confirmation that the Freedom of Russia Legion entered Tyotkino.[7][10]
14 March
In Belgorod Oblast, Russian authorities alleged on Telegram that another attack was directed at Grayvoron, near the border with Ukraine, with an air raid warning being initiated, and civilians in the district apparently being evacuated.[11] Anti-Putin armed groups also staged another incursion into Kursk Oblast.[12] Shopping centres in Belgorod were closed due to shelling.[13] Additionally the ISW reported that several Russian milbloggers reported continued clashes in Tyotkino in Kursk Oblast as well as Kozinka and Spodaryushino in Belgorod Oblast.[14]
15 March
Russia's defense ministry claimed that the incursions into Belgorod Oblast from the previous day had been repelled.[15] Andriy Yusov, the press representative for the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, claimed that Kursk and Belgorod oblasts were now "active combat zones", stressing that the anti-Putin groups were acting independently and not directed by the Ukrainian government.[16] Infantry firefights continued to be reported in and around Sporadushino and Popovo-Lezhachi. Shortly after midday a rocket salvo hit Belgorod, striking civilian buildings and streets.[17]
Casualties
The Russian telegram channel Baza reported that two people were wounded during the fighting, one of whom was a local resident.[5] On 12 March, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it had killed 234 attackers during the incursion.[2]
Reactions
Ukraine
Ukrainian officials denied involvement in the attack.[6] According to Andriy Yusov, these formations "act absolutely autonomously, independently, and carry out their socio-political program tasks."[5] However, the Freedom of Russia Legion is reportedly part of the International Legion, a unit in the Territorial Defense Forces, the Ukrainian military reserve.[18]
Russia
President Vladimir Putin described the incursion as an attempt to "disrupt" the election and "interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens."[19]
Russia's defence ministry said that the incursion attempts on Tyotkino as well as on the Belgorod Oblast settlements of Odnorobivka (a settlement sitting on the border located in the Ukrainian side), Nekhoteyevka and Spodaryushino were thwarted[6] resulting in the deaths of 234 attackers.[20] Schools in Kursk were ordered to shift to remote learning for the rest of the week,[21][22] while a missile alert was declared in the city.[6]
On 12 March, the Russian military operational headquarters of Kursk Oblast banned the publication and distribution of content showing Russian military personnel, artillery strikes, air defenses, and drones strikes in an effort to protect operations security in the region.[23]
On 14 March, the ISW noted an increase in anti-government discontent in the military's handling of the incursions, similar to the discontent expressed by the ultra-nationalist opposition, such as Igor Girkin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, during the 2023 Belgorod Oblast raids. However, these critiques are far less likely to proliferate through the general Russian public, as the Russian government has taken a concerted effort to take control of the Telegram info-space to censor anti-government opinions following the Wagner Group rebellion. However, the ISW concluded that the Russian government must soon make a decision to either reallocate military resources to Kursk and Belgorod, or pay a "reputation cost" among the ultra-nationalists.[14]
See also
References
- ^ "Ukraine Situation Report: Claims Swirl Around Cross-Border Raids Into Russia". The War Zone.
- ^ a b Heintz, Jim; Arhirova, Hanna. "Russia says it killed 234 fighters while thwarting an incursion from Ukraine". PBS. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Российские «военкоры» сообщили об атаке вооруженных групп на приграничные районы Белгородской и Курской областей Легион «Свобода России» утверждает, что это его бойцы «пересекли границу». ФСБ и Минобороны РФ это отрицают". Meduza.
- ^ "Anti-Kremlin fighters launch cross-border attacks into Russia from Ukraine". Reuters. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Российские «военкоры» сообщили об атаке вооруженных групп на приграничные районы Белгородской и Курской областей Легион «Свобода России» утверждает, что это его бойцы «пересекли границу». ФСБ и Минобороны РФ это отрицают". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ^ a b c d Lukiv, Jaroslav (12 March 2024). "Ukraine-based Russian armed groups claim raids into Russia". BBC. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b Zatirko, Andrey (2024-03-13). "Опубликованное легионом «Свобода России» «видео из Теткино» оказалось снято в Украине". Агентство (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "Опубликованы кадры уничтожения техники врага, что пытался пробиться в Сподарюшино". Zvezda. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Orlova, Alisa; Struck, Julia (13 March 2024). "'We Urge Everyone to Leave Cities Immediately' – Pro-Kyiv Militias Warn of Strikes on Russian Border Cities". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Bailey, Riley; Harward, Christina; Wolkov, Nicole; Hird, Karolina; Kagan, Frederick W. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 13, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Ukrainian intelligence intercepts conversation: evacuation ongoing in Russian Grayvoron, Belgorod Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ "Pro-Kyiv Fighters Launch Incursion Into Russia's Kursk Region". The Moscow Times. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ Henderson, Cameron; Slater, Rachel (14 March 2024). "Rogue Russian soldiers 'capture prisoners and advance deep into border regions'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b Hird, Karolina; Bailey, Riley; Mappes, Grace; Kagan, Frederick W. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 14, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Russia says it repelled attempted Ukrainian cross-border incursion". The Economic Times. 2024-03-15. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ "Ukraine war latest: Putin rages as cross-border strikes target Russian cities - and fire attack protests hit election voting stations". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ Post, Kyiv (2024-03-15). "Cross-Border Fighting in Russia's West: Five Things to Know". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ Neplii, Anna (July 5, 2022). "International Legion fights for Ukraine, democratic values". Kyiv Post.
- ^ Kateryna Denisova (13 March 2024). "Putin: Cross-border incursion by Russian anti-Kremlin militia 'attempt to interfere in elections'". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Russia claims killing 234 fighters while thwarting incursion from Ukraine". The Kyiv Independent. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Hall, Rachel; Belam, Martin; Hall (now), Rachel; Belam (earlier), Martin (2024-03-12), "Russia-Ukraine war: Russian schools in Kursk close after claims of Ukrainian cross-border incursion – as it happened", the Guardian, ISSN 0261-3077, retrieved 2024-03-14
- ^ "Russia shuts schools in city of Kursk after border incursions". al-Arabiya. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "В Курской области запретили публиковать фото и видео о дронах и обстрелах". RBK TV. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
This page was last edited on 15 March 2024, at 23:11