The Kremlin said on Wednesday the use of US-made military hardware by pro-Ukraine fighters who carried out attacks on Russia's border areas this week, evidence of increasing Western involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.
The Russian military said on Tuesday it had defeated insurgents who attacked Russian border areas of Belgorod in armored vehicles the day before, killing more than 70 "Ukraine nationalists" and pushing the rest back into Ukraine.
They also said they had destroyed four armored vehicles and five pick-up trucks, to hit what was one of the biggest attacks on Russian soil from Ukraine, since Moscow launched what it called a "special military operation" in Ukraine 15 months ago.
Footage of several vehicles destroyed by the Russian Ministry of Defense showed US-made military hardware such as army vehicles.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised on Wednesday Moscow would respond to cross-border attacks by Ukrainian militants quickly and "very rude".
"It's no secret to us that more and more equipment is being delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the use of US-made hardware by fighters.
"It's no secret that this equipment is used to fight our own military. And it's no secret to us that the direct and indirect involvement of Western countries in this conflict is increasing day by day. We draw the right conclusions," Peskov continued.
Military analysts say the two-day attack in the past two weeks could force the Kremlin to divert troops from the front lines, as Kyiv prepares for a major counter-attack which is expected to ultimately defeat what they consider an unwarranted Russian conquest.
It is known that the Ukrainian government has denied any role in the attack, which two anti-Kremlin armed groups consisting of Russian nationals fighting for Kyiv against their counterparts.
Separately, the United States, Ukraine's largest military supplier, initially played down reports of American-made military hardware being used in the attack.
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US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday he was "skeptic at the moment about the veracity of the report.
"As a more general principle..., we do not support or allow attacks within Russia and we have explained it. But as we have also said, it is up to Ukraine to decide how to do this war," Miller explained.
White House spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday Washington had confirmed to Ukraine it did not support the use of US-made equipment for attacks within Russian territory, and was investigating reports that US-made vehicles were used in cross-attacks this week.
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