Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday called the cross-border raid in Belgorod (a Russian region on the border with Ukraine) a “terrorist act” and warned that Russia would respond “swiftly and extremely harshly” to any further attempts, CNN reports. .

Shoigu also announced the destruction of more than 70 saboteurs and the destruction of cars and armored vehicles. CNN says it cannot independently verify Soigu’s claims.

“During the anti-terrorist operation, nationalist formations were blocked and defeated,” Shoigu told representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry during a televised meeting.

“We will continue to promptly and extremely harshly respond to such actions of Ukrainian militants,” he said.

Raid in Belgorod region: what the Russians report

On Monday, May 22, the governor of the Belgorod region of Russia, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that “saboteurs penetrated” the Graivoron district center of the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine. At the same time, “more than a dozen settlements were bombed. An anti-terrorist operation (OTO) regime has been introduced in the region. As a result of shelling, 13 civilians were injured, one person died,” he added.

A day later, the Ministry of Defense announced the “defeat of the saboteurs.” “More than 70 Ukrainian terrorists, four armored combat vehicles and five pickup trucks were destroyed,” the agency said, citing the official Russian news agency TASS.

The Kremlin is talking about alleged US military equipment involved in the raid on Belgorod

For its part, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, according to Reuters and Agerpres, that the use of American-made “military equipment” by pro-Ukrainian fighters who raided the Russian border region this week is evidence of increased Western involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

“It’s no secret for us that more and more equipment is being supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Kremlin press secretary Dmytro Peskov told reporters, answering a question about the soldiers’ use of Western-made equipment.

“It’s no secret that this technique is used against our own military. And it is no secret for us that the direct and indirect participation of Western countries in this conflict is growing every day. We draw the most appropriate conclusions,” added the Russian president’s spokesman.

Raid in Belgorod region: what military analysts say

Military analysts say this week’s two-day invasion could force the Kremlin to pull troops away from the front lines as Kyiv prepares a major counteroffensive and hopes to win what is seen as Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression, Reuters added.

Despite Kyiv denying any involvement in the largest cross-border raid since the start of the Russian invasion, it was almost certainly coordinated with Ukrainian armed forces preparing to retake their occupied territories, experts added.

“The Ukrainians are trying to stretch the Russians in different directions to open gaps. The Russians are forced to send reinforcements,” said Neil Melvin, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

The invasion took place far from the epicenter of hostilities in Donbas, approximately 160 km from the front line in the north of the Kharkiv region.

“They’re going to have to respond to that situation, deploy troops there, and then have a lot of troops along the entire border zone, even though the Ukrainians may be operating in the wrong place,” Melvin said.

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