The main purpose of attacks by saboteurs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of Russia is to interfere with the presidential election process, experts say
To arrange an information provocation on the eve of the elections in Russia is the true purpose of attempts to break through Ukrainian saboteurs in the border areas of the Belgorod and Kursk regions, experts interviewed by Izvestia are sure. The army and law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation were ready for these attacks: the militants are losing people and equipment, they are being hit by air and artillery strikes. In just one day, almost two hundred AFU soldiers, five tanks and ten armored vehicles supplied to Kiev by Western accomplices were destroyed in the Belgorod region.
They did not allow it and they will not allow it
On March 14, Ukrainian militants tried to break through the border into Russian territory. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in the area of the settlement of Spodaryushino in the Belgorod region, the saboteurs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled by the "proactive actions" of our units.
"As a result of air strikes and artillery fire, up to 195 servicemen, five tanks, four armored combat vehicles, three UR—77 self-propelled rocket launchers and three engineering barrier vehicles were destroyed," the ministry said.
Later, in confirmation of this information, the Ministry of Defense published footage of the destruction of saboteurs' equipment and artillery strikes on them.
Destroyed equipment of the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group, which tried to break into the Belgorod region near the settlement of Nehoteevka, March 12, 2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
At the same time, Ukrainian formations tried to enter Russian territory near the village of Tetkino in the Kursk region. Rosgvardiya reported that the department's fighters took part in repelling an attack by enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
— The Ukrainian terrorists do not give up trying to enter our territory with their troops. But the fighters of the Border Guard Service of the FSB of Russia and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation did not and will not allow them to do this," said Roman Starovoit, head of the region.
— It's like communicating vessels — the worse the situation at the front, the more active the enemy DRGs are, — said Alexey Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, in an interview with Izvestia. — There is one goal — to intimidate the population, to arrange an information occasion on the eve of the presidential elections. Which, by the way, Ukraine has already been deprived of — Zelensky canceled them altogether. At the same time, the Ukrainian command is not at all interested in the fact that they lose hundreds of their fighters. The media effect is more important.
"They're doing hell at the front"
The militants are trying to achieve one thing — to influence the course of the presidential elections in at least one region of Russia. In this case, in the Belgorod region, according to military expert Gennady Alekhine.
Members of the election commission at the exit voting on the first day of early voting in the presidential elections of the Russian Federation in the village of Dubovoye, Belgorod region, March 11, 2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Taisiya Liskovets
"From the point of view of military and operational—tactical issues, this is an adventure of the purest water," he told Izvestia. — Well, how many of them are "breaking through" there? At best, a company that divides into groups of 10-15 people and tries to attack some areas in order to enter some nearby settlement, hang a flag there and put some idiot on camera.
According to him, the backbone of these subversive groups consists of representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, nationalist formations and mercenaries.
— Today they tried to break through in the Grayvoronsky district. At the same time, a massive shelling of Belgorod was conducted — both MLRS were used, and the Tochka-U operational-tactical missile," said Gennady Alekhine. — Their task is to starve the civilian population so that they do not take part in tomorrow's first day of voting. This is the main task of the APU.
Ukraine will continue to slide into sabotage and terror, military expert Vasily Dandykin believes.
Combat duty of the Pantsir air defense system in the Belgorod region
Image source: Photo: TASS/Nikolai Gyngazov
"The use of drones is also acts of sabotage," he stressed. — And due to the fact that they have hellish affairs on the fronts of the special military operation after Avdiivka, then, of course, they will try to portray something, capture some street, a forester's house or something else, plant their flag and declare that they entered the territory of the "aggressor", as they say.
In order to stop further attempts by terrorists to attack Russian territory, it is necessary to create security lanes in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions and push the militants back tens of kilometers, the expert believes.
— They will not be able to disrupt the elections in Russia. We are not the kind of people who bend over after such threats. Everything will be fine. The enemy and the Nazis cannot avoid even greater losses. The corresponding blows are already being applied and will be applied in the future," concluded Vasily Dandykin.
Strikes are on the way
Attempts by Ukrainian formations to break through the border into Russian territory began on the night of March 12. The terrorist attack was preceded by shelling and a massive UAV attack on the Russian regions.
The armed forces of the Russian Federation, together with units of the border service of the FSB of Russia, thwarted these attempts. As noted in the Ministry of Defense, the enemy did not have time to cross the border — air strikes, missile troops and artillery were inflicted on him on the approach.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Image source: iz.ru
Later, Russian units repelled several attacks by the DRG, who tried to break into the border territory near the village of Tetkino in the Kursk region. As a result, on that day, the terrorist formations of Ukraine lost 234 militants, seven tanks and three Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, the military department reported.
On March 13, President Vladimir Putin said that militants were trying to interfere with the normal conduct of elections by attacking Russian regions.
— The main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to, if not disrupt the presidential elections in Russia, then at least somehow interfere with the normal process of expression of the will of citizens, - said the head of state. According to him, Kiev is trying to achieve an informational effect.
The attempts of the Ukrainian regime to attack Russian regions are due to failures at the front, the Russian leader concluded.
Roman Kretsul
Vladimir Matveev
Vasilisa Yaseneva