The territory of the Klimovsky district of the Bryansk region of Russia has been breached by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group, the region’s governor Alexander Bogomaz says.
“Saboteurs fired at a moving vehicle. One resident was killed in the shelling, a 10-year-old was injured,” the governor writes.
Furthermore, according to Bogomaz, Ukraine’s Armed Forces launched a drone the falling of which led to a house catching on fire in the Sushany village, the governor claims.
Bogomaz adds that the Lomakovka village was subjected to mortar shelling. No one was hurt in the attack, two houses were damaged.
Russia’s state news agency TASS reports, citing law enforcement sources, that a clash with “Ukrainian saboteurs” is happening in the region.
According to the agency, there are killed and injured among residents of the Bryansk region. “The groups of Ukrainian saboteurs entered two villages, taking civilians as hostages in one of them. The National Guard fighters are clashing with the militants,” the source says.
It is reported that up to six people could have been taken hostage.
The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) has released a statement, saying: “In the border Klimovsky district of the Bryansk region, the FSB and forces of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation are conducting activities aimed at eliminating armed Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border.”
update 1:40 PM
The Russian Volunteer Corps has claimed responsibility for the events that transpired in the Bryansk region. The movement has posted a video the background of which shows the building of the Lyubechane medical post. Lyubechane is a Bryansk region village bordering Ukraine.
“We are not at war with civilians and we do not kill anyone unarmed. It’s time ordinary citizens of Russia realise they’re not slaves. Start a rebellion, fight,” one of the men in the video says.
The Russian Volunteer Corps was founded in August 2022. Its founder is businessman Denis Kapustin, famous in the right-wing radical circles. He founded the clothing brand Whiterex which is popular among Russians whose views could be interpreted as “ultra-right”. According to the founders of the corps, they are fighting in the war as part of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
update 3:38 PM
TASS reports, citing witnesses of the events transpiring in the Bryansk region, that “Ukrainian saboteurs are not showing signs of activity” and could have left Russian territory.
“No one from the Ukrainian group is still present on Russian territory, they all have gone. Right now, a search is ongoing, it’s possible that there are some remaining Ukraine’s Armed Forces fighters on our territory,” the source told TASS.
Adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak said that Ukraine has nothing to do with the events in the Bryansk region. “Ukraine does not attack Russia, does not send sabotage and reconnaissance groups there, does not kill people there, especially civilians. Ukraine has no need for that,” he stated. Podolyak did not exclude the possibility that “Russian partisans could have become active”.
Since the start of the war, the Bryansk region has been shelled by Ukraine at least 39 times, Novaya-Europe’s data deportment previously reported. In total, border regions of Russia have been shelled at least 350 times since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.