Editor's note: The story was updated with comments from Ukraine's military intelligence agency. Following over a week of cross-border raids, the Ukrainian-equipped anti-Kremlin militias held a joint press conference in downtown Kyiv to have their voices heard. With the recent incursions, the Ukraine-led militants say their goal was to "open
In the early hours of March 12, three anti-Kremlin Russian armed groups announced they had crossed the border into Russia's Belgorod and Kursk oblasts, promising "to fight the criminal Russian regime" with "weapons in hand." The footage capturing the crossing revealed that the fighters were well-armed, including with armored vehicles
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that all Russians who fight for Ukraine must be tracked down and "punished...without any statute of limitations, wherever they may be located."
The Kremlin may either allocate extra barricades and border security forces to deflect criticism, or choose to keep the majority of military equipment and personnel in Ukraine to conserve resources.
"The shelling of Ukraine from the territory of Belgorod must stop!" the joint statement said. The militias said they have been "forced" to fire upon Russian military positions in the area.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on March 12 that Moscow's military and security forces killed 234 combatants while thwarting a border incursion it blames on Ukraine.
