Drone Hits House And Government Building In Belgorod After Border Attack

Drone attack on government building in Belgorod, Russia. (Twitter/@bayraktar_1love)

JAKARTA - A drone strike hit Russian border areas overnight, as Moscow forces continued "operation of counter-terrorism", after one of Ukraine's largest cross-border attacks in a war that has lasted for 15 months.

Drones hit houses and government buildings in Belgorod but did not result in death or injury, wrote Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the region, on Telegram, as reported by The National News May 23.

Russia then imposed an "anti-terror regime" in Belgorod in response, the first since the start of the Moscow invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Gladkov, which limits movement and communications, said anti-terrorist operations continued on Tuesday.

"Law enforcement forces are doing everything necessary," he wrote.

The attack came after Russia said its troops were battling a "chaotic" group that entered the region from Ukraine on Monday.

It is reported that an explosion sounded in the FSB building in Bilgorod pic.twitter.com/9XQ3JV2I8W

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) May 22, 2023

It is reported that an expansion sounded in the FSB building in Bilgorod pic.twitter.com/9XQ3JV2I8W

A Ukrainian Presidential Adviser said on Twitter Kyiv was observing the situation but "it has nothing to do with the incident".

Meanwhile, Ukrainian news outlet Hromadske quoted Ukrainian military intelligence as saying two groups of Russia's armed opposition, Russia's Freedom ofCE and the Russian Volunteer Corps, both of whom consisted of Russian nationals, were responsible for the attack.

At least eight people were injured and several buildings were damaged. Many residents left after the attack.

It is known, since the start of the war, the Belgorod region has been bombarded repeatedly in attacks that killed dozens of people.

In April, a Russian jet accidentally dropped ammunition in Belgorod City, causing a crater as wide as 20 meters.

The attack was Russia's second cross-border attack in two months after officials accused Ukraine in March of sabotage operations in a village in the Byransk region, killing two civilians and injuring a 10-year-old boy.

Kyiv denied the allegations, calling them Russia's efforts to increase public support for Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

It also came after Russia prevented attacks by two drones in the Kremlin earlier this month, which were blamed on Ukraine without providing evidence. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied his government was involved.

"Russia faces increasingly serious multidomain security threats in its border areas, with the loss of warplanes, homemade bomb attacks on rail lines, and now direct partisan action," the British Ministry of Defense tweeted.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 23 May 2023.Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/sl1BP3Jp3b🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/MuK0eYueQa

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 23, 2023

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 23 May 2023.Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/sl1BP3Jp3b🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/MuK0eYueQa