Explained: The fighting in Belgorod and what it means for the Ukraine war

A day after the ‘Freedom of Russia’ legion launched an attack on Russia’s Belgorod, Moscow claims to have killed 70 attackers in a pitched battle. Belgorod, on the Ukraine-Russia border, is around 80 kilometres north of Kharkiv and a military hub that has fuel and ammunition depots. The Belgorod region, like the neighbouring Bryansk region and other border areas, has witnessed only sporadic spill over from the war, which Russia started by invading Ukraine in February 2022. Far from the 1,500-kilometer front line in southern and eastern Ukraine, Russian border towns and villages regularly come under shelling and drone attacks, but this week’s attack is the second in recent months that also appears to have involved an incursion by ground forces. Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening in Belgorod and what it could mean for the Ukraine war: What’s happening in Belgorod? Moscow claimed the assailants fired on residential and administrative buildings and civilian infrastructure, as per CNN. Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the raid targeted the rural area around Graivoron, a town about five kilometres from the border. Gladkov said twelve civilians were wounded in the attack, he said, and an older woman died during an evacuation. Two homes were set ablaze after unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) hit the region overnight and 100 people were evacuated from the region, he added. The Russian news portal RBK, quoting unidentified sources in the regional interior ministry and territorial police, said Graivoron came under heavy shelling that lasted about five hours early Monday. After that, tanks fired at the Graivoron border checkpoint while the adjacent village of Kozinka came under mortar and rocket fire, RBK said, citing the same sources. Gladkov later reported that a Koznika villager had been killed. The attacking force was made up of 10 armored vehicles and an unspecified number of troops, RBK said. Gladkov also said fire from the Ukrainian side of the border on Tuesday hit the Borisovka area, about 20 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of Graivoron. No casualties were reported, he said without elaborating on the incident. [caption id=“attachment_12640912” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A damaged armored military vehicle is seen after fighting in Russia’s western Belgorod region on Tuesday. AP[/caption] Russia claimed the attackers were driven from its territory through a combination of air strikes, artillery fire and military units, as per CNN. Al Jazeera quoted Russia’s defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying the incursion force was ‘routed’ and the remnants pushed “back to the territory of Ukraine, where they continued to be hit by fire until they were completely eliminated”.

He did not mention any Russian casualties.

“In total, more than 70 militants, four armoured vehicles and five pickups were destroyed. Today, the operation has been cancelled in the Belgorod region,” Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. The Russian Volunteer Corps, which also participated in the attack, implied on Telegram that the attack was over, adding: “One day, we’ll come to stay.” The post went up at around the same time as the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have quashed the assault. But Aleksey Baranovsky of the Russian Armed Opposition Political Centre – the Freedom of Russia’s political wing – told CNN the operation was ‘ongoing’. Baranovsky added that the legion wanted to “liberate our motherland from the tyranny of Putin.” Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said the attackers were Russian dissidents unhappy about Putin’s policies. “These are Russian patriots, as we understand it. People who actually rebelled against the Putin regime,” she said. What could it mean for the war? Another difference from earlier cross-border attacks is that Russia’s effort to repel it continued into a second day for the first time. [caption id=“attachment_12640942” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] This image taken from a video shows people indicating a damaged building in the Belgorod region. AP[/caption] According to CNN, while this is unlikely to have an impact on the war itself, it could change the narrative surrounding the conflict. “Moscow has always been eager to paint a picture of Russian victimhood as a pretext for ramping up attacks on Ukraine, given its public pretence that the invasion is an act of self-defence and is necessary to keep Russia safe. Putin will no doubt look to use these attacks to bolster that narrative, despite Kyiv’s denials that it had any official involvement,” the piece stated.

However, others argue it could see the war escalate.

The Institute for the Study of War said Russia’s response was “highly disproportionate” compared to the attack. “Russian forces should not have required significant reinforcements – or the involvement of a colonel general – to repulse a raid conducted by reportedly 13 armoured vehicles,” the Washington DC-based think-tank said on Wednesday. Experts say the battle was a fresh reminder of how Russia itself remains vulnerable to attack, along with Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. Newsnation quoted Kearney as saying the incident  “dramatically increases” Russia’s task of defending its border. “Up until the fall of the Soviet Union, there really wasn’t a border, so Ukrainians are as comfortable in Russia as the Russians are … in Ukraine,” Kearney, who served as chief of staff for Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, said on Tuesday. The region was included in Russian president Vladimir Putin’s order last year to increase the state of readiness for attacks and improve defences. A piece in The Conversation noted that though Ukraine says it is not involved in the incident, the attackers being equipped with the latest weapons indicates that these have been given by Ukraine and its allies. “The debate then is not really about the state of the attack or the advance. The question is rather whether has Kyiv launched an assault onto Russian soil and, if so, what are the consequences of that action?” the piece enquired. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.