Ukraine-Backed Troops Enter Russia As Fighting Escalates
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin suffered several defeats Tuesday with Kyiv-backed paramilitary groups entering Russia while a Russian military transport plane crashed, killing several people.
The Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps, made up of Russians fighting on behalf of Ukraine, claimed Tuesday that they were “on the attack” inside Russia.
Ukrainian and Russian sources said the groups had entered Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions in armored vehicles. The War Gonzo Telegram channel reported the fighters were backed by mortar and artillery fire.
Later in the day, the Freedom of Russia Legion said it had fully taken control of the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region.
However, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it had “thwarted” attacks in border regions by “Ukrainian terrorist groups,” which they said caused heavy losses.
News of the military action taken by the separatist fighters comes after multiple overnight drone attacks inside Russia.
Moscow authorities said Ukrainian drones targeted sites in nine Russian regions in what was thought to be Kyiv’s largest drone assault on Russia since the start of the war.
DRONE ATTACKS
One of the targets in the drone attacks was reportedly a government building in Belgorod, where the mayor said the strike had killed four people.
It came after Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted drone attacks over the weekend in Russia’s Rostov Oblast that may have struck an aircraft plant refurbishing A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft, said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Two A-50s were reportedly destroyed as a result, according to ISW investigators.
Separately, a Russian military transport plane carrying 15 people crashed on take off in Russia, the Russian Defence Ministry has said.
The ministry said the Il-76 aircraft, with eight crew and seven passengers on board, crashed in the Ivanovo region, some 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
It was unclear if there were survivors, but the Ivanovo governor, Stanislav Voskresensky, offered condolences to the victims’ families.
DESCENDING PLANE
Unverified footage showed a plane descending to the ground as a plume of black smoke trailed behind it, while a fire could be seen around one of the engines.
The ministry said an engine fire during takeoff was the likely cause of the crash. Russian media said the plane crashed “during takeoff for a scheduled flight.”
Additional footage showed a crash site, with smoke rising from behind a canopy of trees.
A helicopter could be seen circling in the background. The Russian Defence Ministry said a team of investigators flew to Ivanovo to conduct a probe.
It is the second time this year that a Russian Il-76 military transport plane has crashed. Two months ago, another Il-76 crashed, with Moscow saying it was carrying dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The setbacks for Moscow come days before hardline Russian President Putin seeks reelection, which could make him the longest-serving Russian leader since the late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
UKRAINE SUFFERING
However, Ukraine suffered as well Tuesday as a Russian attack against the city of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast area Tuesday started a fire in a residential building and killing two women and a man, said Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city’s military administration.
At least three missile hits were recorded in the city, one of which targeted a nine-story building and another hitting the roof of a five-story building.
Rescue operations concluded after almost 40 people were found injured, including 10 children, Vilkul said, adding that 17 injured adults and nine children were hospitalized.
They were the latest victims in a war that has killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people.
The war, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has also displaced millions of people.
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