war | Russia: Fighters pushed back and ‘eliminated’ in Belgorod region

Day 454 since the beginning of the war: In Belgorod, Russia, the situation is getting worse, the Kremlin speaks of “Ukrainian extremists”. Ukraine denies the allegations. All information in the news blog.

1:36 p.m.: The Russian army announced on Tuesday afternoon that it had pushed back the fighters in the Belgorod region onto Ukrainian territory and “eliminated” them. The fighters are believed to be pro-Ukrainian Russian rebels.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Telegram that during the so-called anti-terrorist operation, the fighters were “blocked and defeated” by airstrikes and artillery fire, among other things. In part, they pushed them back into Ukrainian territory, where the Russian side continued to shell them until they were completely eliminated.

11:48 am: The Russian State Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on terrorism charges over the fighting in the western border region of Belgorod. “Residential and administrative buildings were shelled by mortars and artillery. Several civilians were injured as a result of these criminal acts,” according to a press release from the authority. “Representatives of Ukrainian military associations” are to blame for the attacks. The attacks were blamed on two Russian-citizen volunteer corps fighting on the Ukrainian side. The government in Kiev denied any direct involvement in it.

Investigations are currently underway for terrorism, attempted murder and killing of security officials, wanton destruction of property and illegal possession of weapons and explosives, the statement said. According to the authorities, the fighting that broke out on Monday in the district of Grayvoron, right on the border with Ukraine, is continuing. According to the governor of the Belgorod region, a “spy and sabotage squad” had entered the area.

11:47 am: After a “sabotage group” from Ukraine invaded the Russian border region of Belgorod, artillery and mortar attacks continued, according to Russian sources. This was announced by the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, on Tuesday. He published a list of Monday’s attacks, adding: “Ukrainian forces launched attacks on the Belgorod region.”

8:33 a.m.: According to the governor, drones were spotted and shot down by anti-aircraft guns over the Russian region of Belgorod on the border with Ukraine.

7.55 a.m.: The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth, pleads for a European alliance when it comes to the delivery of F16 fighter jets to Ukraine. There are already some states that want to deliver the F16, said the SPD politician on Tuesday on Deutschlandfunk. “We can’t deliver them, we don’t even have them.” Nevertheless, Germany could contribute something. “We should join such a European alliance.”

This is an important sign that Europe will not be divided on this issue. Germany’s contribution is somewhat more modest in this case. “But we could help logistically… maybe financially,” Roth explained.

2.11 a.m.: The CDU defense expert Roderich Kiesewetter spoke out in favor of the delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to the Ukraine. “Ukraine’s partners must now go “all-in” and provide Ukraine with everything that Ukraine can use in combined arms combat and that is permissible under international law,” Kiesewetter told the editorial network Germany (RND). The Taurus missiles with a range of up to 500 kilometers could be a “very helpful contribution from Germany”.