Russian military claims downing 2 drones over Belgorod Oblast
The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported that two Ukrainian drones were shot down on Aug. 28 over Belgorod Oblast. The incident could not be independently verified.
The spring and summer months have seen an increase in cross-border attacks by Ukrainian forces.
After a July 30 drone attack on Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky explained in an address that hostilities will increase within Russia. "Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia - to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process," he said.
Roughly 40 kilometers from the border of Ukraine, Belgorod has already experienced some consequences of the war. In May, the Ukrainian-allied Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion launched incursions into the Belgorod region, advancing to Gayvoron before withdrawing back to Ukraine. Further raids occurred in June, and in July a video allegedly showing Chechen paramilitaries attacking a Russian military vehicle near Belgorod emerged online.
The BBC has recorded at least 160 Russian media reports of suspected Ukrainian drone attacks within Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea this year so far.
In one high-profile incident, a drone detonated near the Kremlin on May 3, though Kyiv has denied responsibility for the attack. Moscow has also claimed a drone was shot down near the capital, in addition to the two near Belgorod.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not commented on today's alleged attack.
Alexander Khrebet
