Ukrainian raid claims civilian lives – Governor of Belgorod – RT Russia and the former Soviet Union
kyiv militants killed one villager and injured several others, Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed
A resident of the village of Kozinka was killed by Ukrainian militants during Monday’s raid on Russia’s Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Tuesday. Initial reports spoke of a dozen civilians injured, but no deaths.
“Very unfortunately, we have one injured. A peaceful villager from Kozinka was killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Gladkov said on his official Telegram channel. “My sincere condolences to his family and friends.”
Gladkov did not identify the villager by name, but said his wife was injured in the raid and is currently being treated at an area hospital.
Around 100 civilians, including children and the elderly, were evacuated from Kozinka and nearby Glotovo due to the raid. All villages have been fully taken over and local authorities are working to restore public services, the governor said.
Gladkov visited Glotovo, Kozinka and Gora-Podol on Tuesday, meeting with residents and inspecting the aftermath of the Ukrainian incursion. Among the items the would-be invaders left behind was an American armored car, decorated with German crosses, he said.
A group of Ukrainian looters crossed the border in the Grayvoron district, west of the city of Belgorod, on Monday. The Russian military described them as a “sabotage-reconnaissance group” and estimated their strength at around 50–200 men, using American-made armored cars.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Tuesday’s incursion a “a matter of deep concern” adding that the special military operation in Ukraine will continue in order to prevent such events in the future.
Ukrainian officials insisted they had nothing to do with the raid, describing it as a stand-alone operation by the “Russian Freedom Legion” and the “Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK)”. The latter group, made up of neo-Nazi militants fighting for Ukraine, claimed responsibility for the March incursion into the Russian region of Bryansk, which left two civilians dead.
Asked to clarify why he described them as “Ukrainian activists”, Peskov said he was very specific. “There are a lot of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine, but they are still Ukrainian activists,” he explained.
The United States has also poured cold water on Ukrainian denials. On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said the US government “has not approved the transfer of equipment to third parties,” such as “paramilitary groups that are not part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”, kyiv had also not requested such supplies. He added that the US military was “studying” reports of American equipment used in the raid.
The State Department told reporters on Monday that the United States “allow or encourage” cross-border attacks, but “It’s up to Ukraine to decide how it wants to conduct its military operations” against Russian “aggressor.”
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