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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
What were the goals of Ukrainian saboteurs crossing the Russian border?
2024-03-13
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Adamov

[REGNUM] On the night of March 11-12, several sabotage groups crossed the state border from Ukraine and entered Russian territory in the Belgorod and Kursk regions.

Before the invasion, a large-scale information campaign launched on social networks launched by the neo-Nazi organizations “Russian Volunteer Corps” ( RDK, banned on the territory of the Russian Federation ) and “Freedom of Russia” ( banned on the territory of the Russian Federation ).

The video they published allegedly shows sabotage groups and armored vehicles crossing the border. In the afternoon, information about the breakout attempt was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Later, reports of clashes appeared in the Shebekinsky and Grayvoronsky districts of the Belgorod region and in the area of ​​​​the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region.

“At about three o’clock in the morning, after intense shelling of civilian targets, Ukrainian terrorist formations, with the support of tanks and armored combat vehicles, attempted to invade the territory of the Russian Federation,” the department said.

In the evening, the Ministry of Defense published footage of destroyed equipment of Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the zone bordering the Belgorod region. The footage was filmed in the area of ​​the village of Spodaryushino, Grayvoronsky district, Belgorod region.

“Armored combat vehicles M113, Bradley made in the USA and personnel of terrorist formations of Ukrainian nationalists were destroyed. Having suffered significant losses, the enemy was driven back from the border of the Russian Federation. The enemy’s DRGs were not allowed to break through into the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Ministry of Defense added.

The Russian FSB said that all attempts by militants to cross the border were repulsed with losses to the attackers. According to the department, the Ukrainian side lost more than 100 people, 6 tanks and 20 armored vehicles.

In turn, the Ukrainian intelligence command disowned the raid: supposedly the militants act independently and are in no way connected with official Kiev.

“A SMALL CHANGE THAT YOU DON’T MIND”
The saboteurs were probably trying to gain a foothold on Russian territory. At the same time, the main goal of the attack is to create a bright picture, military expert, reserve colonel Anatoly Matviychuk said in a commentary to IA Regnum.

“Against the background of the collapse of all military operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, an operational crisis is being created at the border of propaganda for internal and external users. The message to the population is this: we are strong, we are advancing, we have entered the territory of the Russian Federation. The message for foreign media is: look what we are doing without your help, and with your help we will do more,” says the expert.

He adds that it is mainly groups of collaborators from among Russian citizens who are sent on such suicide raids. For Kyiv, they are a bargaining chip that they don’t mind spending for the sake of propaganda.

“They also understand: if he betrayed you once, he will betray you again. Therefore, they use them as they want,” Matviychuk noted.

This is not the first time that Ukrainian saboteurs are trying to break into Russian territory. In the spring and summer of 2023, groups of saboteurs crossed the border several times near the city of Shebekino, Belgorod Region. Each time they were kicked out of there.

Then the Ukrainian army tried to distract Russian troops from the upcoming offensive in the Zaporozhye direction. But the attempts were unsuccessful

This time, Kiev may set a more serious goal for the saboteurs - to create a bridgehead on Russian territory, Vadim Kozyulin, candidate of political sciences, professor of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation, said in a conversation with IA Regnum.

“They are trying to counterattack, create bridgeheads for attack. As, for example, in Krynki, Kherson region. They gained a foothold and held on despite the losses. The same is possible at the border, since this is a strong irritant for the Russian public,” the expert believes.

In addition, such a bridgehead would have diverted additional forces of the Russian army, including aviation and artillery, to the Belgorod and Kursk regions. Kyiv is trying with all its might to at least stop the Russian offensive in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions in order to have time to build defensive lines there.

The day before, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky announced the start of work on the creation of defensive structures. It is planned to build three lines of fortifications with a length of two thousand kilometers. In the meantime, they are not there, we need to somehow distract the Russian army.

SHOW AND BRAVADO
Kyiv also has other goals. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, said several times that it was necessary to “transfer the war to Russian territory.” And Kyiv strives to provide vivid photographs and videos to the foreign press. This is especially important given the fact that Western media are increasingly skeptical about Ukraine’s military prospects.

It is not known exactly what the number of collaborator formations fighting on the side of Ukraine today is. Western sources talk about several hundred, maximum - a thousand people. Too small for a large-scale military operation. Therefore, the statements of neo-Nazis that they will go to Belgorod, Kursk, and then deep into Russia are empty bravado, says Vadim Kozyulin.

“Of course, they are not given strategic tasks. They simply do not have enough forces and weapons for this. But they can try to separate our forces, which is what they are doing,” explains the expert.

Posted by:badanov

#2  What were the goals of Ukrainian saboteurs crossing the Russian border?

I'm not a psychiatrist.
Posted by: Grom the Reflective   2024-03-13 12:22  

#1  The goal was terror.
Posted by: mossomo   2024-03-13 12:20  

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