Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Last updated
Reported cross-border incidents in Western Russia
This article is about allegedly pro-Ukrainian attacks in internationally recognized Russian territory. For the Russian mercenary mutiny, see Wagner Group rebellion.
There have been attacks in mainland Russia as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. The main targets have been the military, the arms industry and the oil industry. Many of the attacks have been drone strikes, firebombing, and rail sabotage. The Ukrainian intelligence services have acknowledged carrying out some of these attacks. Others have been carried out by anti-war activists in Russia. There has also been cross-border shelling, missile strikes and ground raids from Ukraine, mainly in the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryanskoblasts. Several times, Russian anti-Kremlin paramilitaries have launched incursions from Ukraine into Russia, captured border villages and battled the Russian military. While Ukraine has supported these ground incursions, it has denied direct involvement.
On 29 March, local officials reported a series of explosions outside the city of Belgorod, close to the border with Ukraine. It was later reported that those explosions may have been caused by a fire.[5]
April 2022
On 1 April, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov and an unnamed US official, two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters attacked and set fire to a fuel depot in Belgorod in a low-altitude airstrike with no reported casualties.[6][7][8] Ukraine denied and dismissed the event as Russian propaganda.[9][10] Ukrainian security official Oleksiy Danilov denied Ukraine was behind the helicopter attack,[11][10] with a joke in which he blamed the "People's Republic of Belgorod" instead.[12][13][14] On the same day, a rocket exploded in a different part of the oblast, but its apparent trajectory and model led open-source researchers to suspect it was a failed Russian missile.[15]
On 14 April, the FSB border service reported that on 13 April, a border checkpoint near Novye Yurkovichi, Bryansk Oblast came under mortar fire from Ukraine while a group of around 30 Ukrainian refugees headed for Russia was present there. According to the official claims, two automobiles were damaged but no injuries were documented.[18][19][20][21]
On the same day, regional and municipal authorities stated that Ukraine had shelled the village of Spodaryushino (near Mokraya Orlovka) in Belgorod Oblast, causing several explosions. While no injuries occurred, the village's population was temporarily evacuated, out of concerns about a possible escalation. A neighboring settlement also had its population relocated.[22]Governor of Belgorod OblastVyacheslav Gladkov said that the attack "had come from the Ukrainian side."[19] In a separate alleged attack a resident of Zhuravlyovka was injured, according to Gladkov.[23][24]
On the same day, the Investigative Committee of Russia said Ukrainian attack helicopters had launched six missile strikes on residential areas in the town of Klimovo, Bryansk Oblast, damaging six buildings.[25][26] Officials at the Russian Health Ministry said that seven people had been injured, two of which had been hurt seriously.[26] According to personnel at the city's hospital, among those injured were a pregnant woman and a two-year-old child.[20][19] According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, an unverified video of a house in Bryansk burning went viral on the internet.[20] The next day, Russian security services claimed they had shot down a Mil Mi-8 helicopter during the incident.[27]
On 19 April, Belgorod's governor accused Ukrainian forces of striking the village of Golovchino, damaging more than 30 houses and lightly wounding 3 residents.[28] On 25 April, according to the Belgorod governor, at least two residents, a man and a woman, were injured in Zhuravlyovka as a result of shelling.[29]
On the same day, another attack happened in Bryansk: in the morning, two large explosions and fires occurred at two oil facilities, a civilian one and a military one. Videos and images posted on social media showed large columns of black smoke several hours after the initial explosions. An analyst told The Guardian that the fires were likely an act of sabotage by Ukraine, although responsibility remained uncertain.[30][31] Unconfirmed reports in the Russian media suggested the fires could have been caused by a drone attack; on the same day, two Bayraktar TB2 drones were reportedly shot down in Bryansk Oblast.[32]
On 29–30 April, a border checkpoint near Krupets in Rylsky District of Kursk Oblast was repeatedly shelled, according to the governor. The Bryansk governor said that his region was shelled as well.[33][34]
May 2022
On 11 May, the Belgorod governor claimed that Solokhi was shelled from Ukraine. According to him, one person was killed and seven were injured as a result of the incident.[35] Videos online also showed damage to stores and private houses, local officials reportedly began evacuating the village after the attack.[36] The deceased was identified as Ruslan Nefyodov, aged 18.[37]
On 15 May, Gladkov said that one person was injured with a shrapnel wound in Sereda[ru] after a Ukrainian strike,[38] as 10 shells were reportedly shot down by Russian air defense systems. Another 10 shells fell close to Novostroyevka-Vtoraya[ru], while another round of eight artillery shells reportedly damaged a power line and a number of farming structures in Zhuravlyovka.[39]
On 17 May, Gladkov claimed that one more person was slightly injured in Bezymeno as it was shelled from the territory of Ukraine.[40] Kursk governor said that the border checkpoint at Tyotkino had been shelled once again on the same day, no victims were reported.[40] On 18 May, Gladkov declared that Solokhi was shelled again, and one person was reportedly injured.[41] Kursk governor Starovoyt reported that Alekseevka, Glushkovsky District[ru], was shelled.[42] On 19 May, Starovoyt claimed that a distillery in Tyotkino was shelled, a truck driver died, and at least one civilian was wounded.[43][44][45] On the same day, Alekseevka and Dronovka[ru] were reportedly shelled.[46]
On 25 May, Gladkov claimed that one person was wounded in Zhuravlyovka as it was shelled "from the territory of Ukraine".[47] Zhuravlyovka and Nekhoteyevka were subject to continuous shelling on 26 May. A woman died from her wounds in the hospital the next day.[48][49][50] On 26 May, Starovoyt said that Vorozhba, Sudzhansky District[ru] came under shelling "from the Ukrainian side", and a local school teacher was wounded by broken glass.[51]
June–July 2022
On 6 June, a bridge at Tyotkino was shelled, damaging it. Near the bridge, a block of apartments was badly damaged, a car was burnt out and the local sugar refinery suffered some damage.[52]
Klintsy and its surrounding regions in Bryansk Oblast were shelled for three days straight beginning on 12 June. The first two days of attacks were more minor incidents targeting military bases, with little to no casualties. On 14 June a helicopter fired missiles at residential areas in the city, damaging dozens of houses and ripping a woman's leg off.[53] Authorities recorded six injuries on 14 June.[54] As a result of the attacks, Klintsy and the surrounding region was left without water and electricity.[55]
On 3 July, officials said that a group of explosions targeting civilian areas in Belgorod had killed at least five people and injured four, several buildings and private houses were damaged or destroyed, anti-aircraft defense systems reportedly activated, but one projectile hit an apartment building.[57][58] Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack and Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that Russia had shot down three Ukrainian Tochka Uballistic missiles armed with cluster warheads. Ukraine denied it was responsible.[59][60][61]
September–October 2022
A civilian was killed and two hospitalized after shelling hit the town of Valuyki in Belgorod Oblast on 15 September, according to regional authorities.[62][63] Earlier, Russian authorities had reported that a border checkpoint on Nekhoteevka was attacked and that the customs terminal had caught on fire.[64]
On 11 October, an explosion was reported at an electric substation in Shebekino; some residents were left without energy.[65] On 15 October, new explosions were reported in Belgorod; an oil depot reportedly caught on fire.[66] On 16 October, explosions were reported at an airport in Belgorod; videos online show anti-aircraft systems firing and smoke rising on the airport after an apparent missile strike, with two people reportedly being wounded.[67]
November 2022
On 1 November, the settlement of Krasnooktyabrsky in Glushkovsky District was reportedly shelled by Ukrainian forces, no injuries were reported, a five-story building was damaged and several windows were blown; Another attack was also reported in Kozynka, one person was reportedly wounded in the shelling.[68] On 2 November, 5 civilians, including 3 children, were reportedly injured after shells hit the village of Guyevo, Sudzhansky District. Several private houses and stores were also damaged in the attack; the village was left without electricity as power lines were either destroyed or damaged following the explosions.[69]
On 15 November, 2 civilians were killed and 3 injured after shelling in Shebekino, Belgorod Oblast; the shells reportedly hit apartment buildings and a pharmacy nearby.[70] Later, the governor of Belgorod said that an 80-year-old woman died of her wounds in the hospital and that a man was killed and another was injured by parts of a missile that was shot down by air defense.[71] On 16 November, in the village of Stalnoy Kon, Oryol Oblast, an unmanned aerial vehicle reportedly attacked an oil depot, and no casualties were reported. Earlier that month, on 14 November, Russian media had also reported several blasts in the Belgorod region.[72]
On 17 December, explosions were reported in Belgorod, a local resident's car was reportedly damaged by a fragment of ammunition debris.[75] On 18 December, explosions were reported again in Belgorod, officials claimed that they were the result of anti-aircraft fire; several cars and houses were damaged by debris, 4 people were wounded in the city itself, and 1 person was killed in the suburbs, local Telegram channels also posted images showing thick black smoke rising over the city.[76]
More explosions were reported elsewhere in Belgorod Oblast, a poultry farm was reportedly hit; 2 people, including 1 employee of the farm, died as a result of the explosions, 3 other employees were also wounded during the alleged attack, local Telegram channels showed videos allegedly showing the aftermath of the attack.[76] On 25 December, three soldiers were killed in another attack on Engels air base.[77]
February–March 2023
On 11 February, the Governor of the Belgorod Oblast reported that Ukrainian Grad missiles had hit the city of Shebekino, and that as a result of the attack, three men had been wounded, one building of an industrial enterprise had been destroyed and a bus stop, as well as three private cars, had been damaged. Another attack with Grad rockets was reported later, with local authorities claiming that the missiles had hit two private houses, one of which caught on fire as result of the strike.[78]
On 22 February, regional authorities reported that two people had been injured by shelling in Shebekino, and that three houses were damaged from shelling in Pervoye Tseplyayevo.[79] On February 28, a Rosneft oil depot in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, caught on fire after an alleged drone attack. Locals reported several explosions in the depot, which local officials blamed on two drones that allegedly crashed into the terminal and exploded. The boiler room was reportedly damaged, although the local government denied any damage to the facility's oil tanks; there were no victims, and the fire was quickly extinguished.[80] On the same day, an FSB border service observation tower was damaged by an UAV, allegedly from Ukraine.[81]
On 4 March, a drone carrying an improvised explosive device attacked a substation of the Transneft-Druzhba oil pipeline in Belgorod Oblast. Four people were evacuated, but no injuries were reported.[82] On 6 March, more attacks were reported in Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts. Starovoyt claimed the village of Iskra suffered power outages after energy facilities reported damages during the attack. According to Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, in the town of Novy Oskol, although three missiles were shot down, one civilian was injured and several buildings in the town were damaged, in addition to power outages.[83]
On 15 March, two missiles were downed by air defense systems over the city of Belgorod, according to Belgorod Oblast Governor Gladkov, with no injuries or damage reported.[84] On 27 March, a drone attacked an gas station in Belgorod late in the evening; no casualties were reported.[85]
April 2023
On 6 April, an drone with several cameras crashed in the Fakel Machine-Building Design Bureau in Khimki, Moscow Oblast; the drone was allegedly downed by communication jammers, and was found by security guards patrolling the region.[86] On 9 April, Belgorod Governor Gladkov claimed that Ukrainian forces had shelled the border town of Voznesenovka, Shebekinsky District; two houses and one farm were damaged by shells, but no casualties were reported.[87]
On 10 April, a drone carrying a bomb crashed into a fence at Belgorod airport, no casualties were reported, but the explosion damaged the airport's fence and alarm system.[88] On 16 April, a drone attacked an electrical substation in Belgorod, no casualties were reported.[89]
On 3 May, Russia said it had shot down two drones over the Moscow Kremlin and accused Ukraine of sending them to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.[90] The Ukrainian government denied the accusations, calling them fabricated.[91] Also on 3 May, several explosions and a fire were reported early on the morning at the Port of Taman, near the village of Volna, Krasnodar Krai, images show flames and smoke over what is believed to be large fuel tanks, no casualties were reported, Russian media outlets blamed the explosions and subsequent fire on an alleged Ukrainian drone attack; the port is about 15 km from the Crimean Bridge and is used as a logistic hub for operations in Southern Ukraine.[92]
Another attack was reported on the same day in Bryansk Oblast, where, allegedly, five Ukrainian drones attacked a military airfield, two drones reportedly hit their targets on the airfield, whereas two were destroyed and one was not found, no casualties were reported, one unoperated An-124 military transport aircraft was slightly damaged during the attack, according to local media outlets.[93]
On 4 May, early in the morning, an unidentified drone struck the territory of the military unit No. 45117 in the town of Buturlinovka, Voronezh Oblast; this was followed by another alleged Ukrainian drone attack at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in the village of Kiselyovka, Rostov Oblast; the drone crashed and exploded at the Refinery’s inter-shop flyover, which was under construction. The fire was quickly put out and no casualties were reported.[94]
On 10 May, a unidentified drone struck an administrative building in Starodub, Bryansk Oblast; another drone also dropped an explosive device on the Klintsy oil depot (owned by Rosneft) in Bryansk proper on 11 May. The concrete base and oil products storage tank were partially damaged, while no casualties were reported; regional governor Alexander Bogomaz blamed Ukraine for the attacks.[95] On 14 May, an unidentified drone dropped an explosive device on the roof of a military warehouse in Suzemka District of Bryansk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine; there were no casualties, although some of the equipment there was damaged.[96]
On 15 May, a drone allegedly crashed into a border post in Bryansk Oblast in the evening, injuring five border guards. Another attack was also reported in Sudzhansky District of Kursk Oblast; according to Governor Starovoyt, an drone dropped a bomb on a working excavator, inflicting minor injuries on the operator.[97] On 30 May, Moscow was attacked by drones.[98]
June–July 2023
9 June: three people were reportedly injured when a drone struck a building in the city of Voronezh.[99]
19 June: the governor of Belgorod Oblast claimed that seven people were injured by shelling in Valuyki.[100]
8–9 July: Russian forces claimed to have shot down four Ukrainian missiles over Belgorod,[103] Bryansk and Rostov Oblasts, destroying a sawmill.[104]
16 July: a woman was reportedly killed by Ukrainian shelling in Shebekino, Belgorod Oblast.[105]
28 July: A missile was shot down over the city of Taganrog, and another near Azov, Rostov Oblast. Fourteen people were injured. A bomb was detonated at the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara Oblast.[106]
30 July: A Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow damaged two office buildings and led to an hour-long suspension of operations at Vnukovo International Airport. The Russian military claimed to have intercepted three drones, two of which hit the buildings.[107]
31 July: a police station in Bryansk Oblast was reportedly hit by a drone.[108]
August 2023
1 August:
Several drones were shot down over Moscow, but one struck the same skyscraper damaged by a drone strike on 30 July, which housed federal government offices. Vnukovo Airport was briefly closed again.[109][110]
A military recruitment office in St Petersburg was set on fire by a man who claimed to have been contacted by the FSB to "gain access to documents sent to Ukraine". Russian media said it was the ninth such attack on recruitment centers across the country in recent days, which authorities attributed to "phone scammers".[111]
20 August: A drone reportedly set fire to the roof of Kursk railway station, injuring five people.[120] More drones were downed in Rostov Oblast, Belgorod and Moscow, forcing the closure of Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports.[121][122]
22 August: Two drones were shot down near Moscow, with one hitting a 25-story building in Krasnogorsk, and forcing the closure of the city's major airports. Two other drones were shot down over Bryansk Oblast.[124]
23 August: The Governor of Belgorod Oblast said that a drone struck a sanatorium in the village of Lavy, killing three. Another drone was downed over central Moscow, crashing into a high-rise building under construction, and forcing the closure of the city's airports.[125][126]
25 August: The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down an S-200 missile near Shaykovka military airbase in Kaluga Oblast. Explosions were also reported in Tula Oblast.[127]
26 August: Another drone was shot down near Moscow,[128] prompting the closure of the city's airports.[129] The governor of Belgorod Oblast claimed that a drone killed one person in the village of Shchetinovka,[130] and that Ukrainian shelling damaged buildings and injured four in the village of Urazovo,[131]
27 August: the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it launched sixteen drones in an overnight attack on a military airbase in Kursk Oblast, which destroyed four Russian Su-30 fighter jets and one MIG-29, and damaged anti-aircraft systems.[132]
30 August: Ukraine reportedly launched a wave of drone strikes overnight on six regions in western Russia. One struck Pskov Airport, near the Estonian border, destroying two Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft and damaging two others. The raid was launched from within Russia, according to Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian HUR.[133][134] Ukrainian officials, who did not claim responsibility for the attacks, claimed that that a fuel depot in Kaluga and a microelectronics factory in Bryansk were also struck.[135]
September 2023
1 September: A drone reportedly damaged a factory that made components for rockets in Lyubertsy, Moscow Oblast,[136] forcing the closure of airports in the area. At least two buildings were reportedly damaged in another drone strike in Kurchatov, Kursk Oblast.[137]
2 September: the governor of Belgorod Oblast claimed that Ukrainian shelling killed one person in Urazovo.[138]
7 September: Another wave of drone attacks was reported across Russia. In Rostov-on-Don, three buildings were damaged in a reported strike by two drones at the headquarters of the Southern Military District. Another drone fell on a military base in Volgograd Oblast,[139] the first such incident in the region, while another drone started a fire at an industrial facility in Bryansk.[140]
17 September: a drone damaged an oil depot in Oryol.[141]
20 September: a fuel storage tank caught fire near Sochi airport following a suspected drone strike.[143]
24 September: The governor of Kursk Oblast claimed that a government building was damaged by a Ukrainian drone in Kursk city.[144] Ukrainian military intelligence claimed that a drone strike on the Khalino air field in the same region killed or wounded the commander and other officers of the Russian 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.[145]
29 September: Russian officials said Ukrainian drones dropped explosives on an electrical substation in the village of Belaya in Kursk Oblast, cutting power to five settlements. A dozen other drones were reportedly shot down over Belgorod, Kursk and Kaluga Oblasts.[146] A radar station near Giryi, Kursk Oblast was reportedly destroyed by a drone.[147]
October 2023
1 October: Ukrainian exploding drones reportedly struck Adler airbase in Sochi and an aircraft factory operated by the state-run Tactical Missile Armament corporation in Smolensk.[148]
4 October: Russia claimed to have shot down 31 Ukrainian drones during an overnight raid on its western border regions.[149] A Russian S-400 missile system was reportedly struck by drones near Belgorod.[150]
7 October: One person was reportedly killed by Ukrainian shelling in Urazovo, Belgorod Oblast. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have destroyed three Tochka-U missiles over the region and thwarted a drone attack on Moscow.[151]
10 October: A couple was reportedly killed by Ukrainian shelling in Popovka, Belgorod Oblast.[152] A Russian conscript was killed while five other soldiers were wounded in an attack in Gudovka, Bryansk Oblast.[153]
12 October: two people were reportedly killed in a house fire caused by falling drone wreckage in Belgorod Oblast.[154]
15 October: Russia claimed to have shot down 27 drones over Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts.[155] An attack on an energy facility in Krasnaya Yaruga, Belgorod Oblast, caused blackouts in the area.[156]
18 October: Russia said it had shot down 28 drones over Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts as well as over the Black Sea.[157] A military camp near Khalino airbase in Kursk was reportedly struck by drones launched by Ukraine's SBU.[158]
26 October: Russia claimed that three drones tried to attack the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.[159] The FSB claimed to have killed a man in a shootout in Tver, who was working for Ukrainian intelligence.[160]
29 October: A drone caused a fire at the Afipsky oil refinery near Novorossiysk.[161] Ukrainian media reported that the attack was organized by the SBU.[162]
November 2023
3 November: Ukrainian military intelligence said that a car belonging to Igor Kuznetsov, the CEO of the Russian arms manufacturer GosNIImash, was set on fire in Nizhniy Novgorod by members of the "resistance movement".[163]
11 November: The governor of Belgorod Oblast said that three houses, power lines and five railway carriages were damaged in a Ukrainian drone and missile strike on Valuyki.[164] A freight train was derailed in Rybnoye, Ryazan Oblast, which officials blamed on an improvised explosive device.[165][166]
14 November: A munitions factory in Seltso, Bryansk Oblast was reportedly damaged by a Ukrainian drone, while other drones were shot down in Moscow, Tambov, and Oryol Oblasts.[167]
16 November: Oleksandr Slisarenko, the Russian-installed deputy head of the Kharkov Military-Civilian Administration, was reportedly killed in a car bombing carried out by the SBU in Belgorod.[168]
26 November: Following a Russian drone wave attack on Kyiv, Russian forces downed 24 Ukrainian drones over Moscow Oblast, Tula Oblast, Kaluga Oblast, Smolensk Oblast and Bryansk Oblast. One civilian was injured in Tula when a downed drone struck an apartment building. Flights from major Moscow airports were halted.[169] A "booster" from a Russian Pantsir missile system smashed into a wall of a two-story home in Moscow.[170]
29 November: a warehouse storing Shahed drones in Bryansk was reportedly attacked by Ukrainian drones.[171]
30 November: Ukrainian media reported that the SBU was behind a series of explosions targeting a freight train at the Severomuysky Tunnel, Russia's longest railway tunnel, in the far eastern republic of Buryatia. Separately, Ukrainian military intelligence claimed responsibility for a series of sabotage attacks on railway infrastructure in Moscow Oblast.[172]
1 January 2024: there were explosions reported in Belgorod once again. On 2 January, Belgorod was reportedly shelled several times.[173][174][175] A Russian bomber dropped a bomb onto Petropavlovka, Voronezh Oblast due to an "emergency" and caused widespread damage.[176][177]
5 January: The HUR said that it had launched a cross-border raid into the Grayvoronsky District of Belgorod Oblast in Russia, mining a road and inflicting casualties on a Russian platoon.[179]
In January 2024, Ukrainian drone strikes began targeting oil and gas terminals in Russia. Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko said that "Russia finances its military from oil exports. You can’t persuade countries like India and China to stop buying it. So you knock out Russian oil refineries."[180]
9 January: A fuel depot and another energy facility in Oryol Oblast were reportedly attacked by Ukrainian drones, injuring three people.[181] A woman was claimed killed in another attack on the border village of Gornal in Kursk Oblast.[182]
18 January: A Ukrainian drone was shot down over Vasilevsky Island in Saint Petersburg; the first aerial attack on the city since the invasion began. The drone crashed into St Petersburg Oil Terminal. Reportedly, three kilograms of high explosives detonated, burning an area of some 130 square metres. A drone also flew over one of Putin's official residences in Valday, Novgorod Oblast, while another was shot down over Moscow. A source from Ukraine's security service acknowledged responsibility.[183][184]
19 January: An oil depot in Klintsy, Bryansk Oblast, was struck in a Ukrainian drone strike, starting a fire covering an area of some 1,000 square metres. Another drone was reported to have struck a gunpowder factory in Tambov.[185][186]
31 January: A drone crashed into the grounds of the Nevsky Mazut oil refinery in St Petersburg, causing an explosion and fire.[190] Russian media blamed the blast on a S-400 missile that was fired at a drone but lost control, crashing into the refinery. All flights from St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport were suspended.[191]
February 2024
3 February: An oil refinery in Volgograd Oblast, operated by Lukoil, was set on fire in a drone attack. The regional governor said a drone crashed into the refinery after being shot down or jammed.[192]
9 February: Russia claimed to have shot down 19 drones over the Black Sea, Krasnodar Krai and in Kursk, Bryansk, and Oryol Oblasts. One of the drones was reported to have started a fire within the premises of the Ilsky oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai.[193][194]
15 February: Russian authorities claimed that Ukraine fired several missiles at Belgorod. They said that fourteen missiles were shot down but one hit and "heavily damaged" a shopping centre in Belgorod city, killing seven people.[195][196] Russia claimed the missiles were fired from an RM-70 multiple rocket launcher.[197] An oil refinery in Kursk Oblast was set on fire by a Ukrainian drone strike, according to local officials.[198]
24 February: The Ukrainian military claimed that its drones set fire to the Novolipetsk Steel plant in Lipetsk.[202]
26 February: The Governor of Belgorod Oblast claimed that three people were killed when a Ukrainian drone struck a car in the village of Pochaevo.[203]
29 February: The HUR said that a Russian Pantsir S1 anti-aircraft missile system was damaged in an attack in Golovchino, Belgorod Oblast.[204]
March 2024
2 March: A drone crashed into a five-storey apartment block in St Petersburg. Residents were evacuated and there were no casualties. Russian media outlets reported that it may have been a Ukrainian drone, shot down as it headed towards a nearby fuel depot.[205]
4 March: The HUR claimed responsibility for blowing up a railway bridge in Russia's Samara Oblast, which was used to transport military cargo.[206]
5 March: The HUR claimed responsibility for a drone strike on an oil depot in the Gubkinsky District of Belgorod Oblast.[207]
6 March: There were drone strikes on Mikhailovsky Mining and Processing Plant and a warehouse in Zheleznogorsky District of Kursk Oblast. "Several Ukrainian media outlets wrote, citing their sources, that the attack on the Mikhailovsky plant was an operation of Ukrainian intelligence services".[208]
8 March: Two people were reportedly killed and a third wounded during Ukrainian drone attacks on Rozhdestvenka, Belgorod Oblast, which came after the Russian Defense Ministry announced it downed several drones over the region.[209]
9 March: Russia claimed to have downed some 47 Ukrainian drones, mostly over Rostov Oblast, as well as over Volgograd, Belgorod and Kursk Oblasts. The Beriev Aircraft Company in Taganrog was damaged in the strikes.[210]
10 March: A woman was killed and her husband wounded by Ukrainian shelling of Kulbaki, according to the regional governor,[211] who also said that a fire broke out at an oil depot following the downing of a drone.[212] Another drone was shot down in Leningrad Oblast.[213]
11 March: A drone struck the administration building in Belgorod city,[214] another caused a power outage in Belgorod Oblast, while Russian authorities said that drone strikes caused fires at oil depots in Nizhny Novgorod and Oryol Oblasts.[215] Several other drones were reportedly shot down over Moscow, Leningrad, Bryansk, Kursk, Tula and Voronezh Oblasts.[216]
13 March: Russian forces claimed to have shot down some 60 drones over the country. Drones set fire to Rosneft's oil refinery in Ryazan, the seventh largest in Russia. Another drone was shot down over the Kirishi oil refinery, Russia's second largest. Thirty drones were shot down over Voronezh Oblast, causing "minor damage". In Belgorod Oblast, drone wreckage cut power and a gas pipeline.[217]
On 6 May 2023, in Pionerskoye village, Bor District, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, an anti-tank mine exploded under an Audi Q7 car, in which the ultranationalist writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin was driving. Prilepin received severe leg injuries, and his bodyguard died on the spot. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Atesh, a militant group of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars.[219][220]
On 11 July 2023, Navy Captain Stanislav Rzhitsky, deputy head of military mobilization efforts in Krasnodar, was shot and killed while jogging. As commander of the submarine Krasnodar based in the Black Sea, he was accused of launching missiles that struck Vinnytsia in July 2022 and killed 23 civilians, although his father claimed he had left active service prior to the invasion in 2021.[221]
Russian Volunteer Corps members in Sushany, Bryansk Oblast
On 2 March 2023, at around 11:30 MSK, it was reported that a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group made an incursion into Russian territory, entering the villages of Lyubechane and Sushany, Klimovsky District; local civilians reported hearing explosions and gunfire.[222][223] The saboteurs allegedly fired into civilians, killing two adults and injuring two children, including one 11-year-old child.[224][225]
Members of the Rosgvardia reportedly entered into a clash with the group; by 14:30, TASS, citing eyewitnesses, wrote that the "Ukrainian saboteurs" had ceased showing signs of activity and may have left Russian territory.[226] Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) later said that the attackers had been pushed back into Ukraine, where a "massive artillery strike" was inflicted on them.[227] According to the FSB, a large number of explosive devices had been found and demining was underway.[225]
On 22 May, armed attacks took place in Kozinka, Gora-Podol and Grayvoron in Belgorod Oblast. The Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion claimed responsibility for the attacks. A Ukrainian spokesperson, Andrii Yusov, made the same claim, stating that the attacks were to "liberate" the regions and to provide a buffer zone to protect Ukrainian civilians. Russian authorities attributed the attacks to "a Ukrainian sabotage-reconnaissance group".[228]
On 1 June, the RVC and LSR launched another incursion in Belgorod Oblast, this time near the small town of Shebekino.[229]
On 12 March 2024, the RVC and LSR launched raids into Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts, claiming control of Tyotkino and Lozovaya Rudka.[230][231]
Reactions
Russia
Schools in Bryansk Oblast were closed following the attack on 14 April and four regions in Russia increased their security measures.[26][232] In response to alleged shelling by Ukraine, Russia reportedly began reinforcing its border with Ukraine, including building defense lines and fortifications along the border of Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk Oblasts with Ukraine.[233][234] A state of emergency was also declared on some villages and settlements along the border with Ukraine following repeated shelling attacks.[235]
On 15 April, Russia launched major missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in retaliation for the attacks.[27] The Russian attacks were the largest of their kind to take place since Russia aborted its offensive into Kyiv Oblast.[236] After the 5 December missile strikes, Russian forces launched a new wave of attacks against Ukrainian cities.[237] A missile reportedly fell on Moldova as a result of the attack.[238]
ISW reported that Russian forces could be preparing a large-scale false flag attack to gather popular support for the invasion, with Kremlin propagandists claiming that Ukraine is "preparing to invade" Belgorod Oblast.[239] A senior Ukrainian officer later said that Russia may attempt to escalate the situation on the border and claim "NATO and Ukrainian aggression", he cited recent fake news being spread in pro-Russian Telegram channels about "Ukrainian and NATO plans" to "Attack peaceful Russian and Belarusian territory", as well as recent construction of border defenses along Russian Oblasts bordering Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff also claimed that Russia could attempt to force Belarus into the war, and that "10-15 thousand Belarusian forces" were already on the border with Ukraine, citing reports of possible Reconnaissance missions conducted by Belarusian forces.[239]
In May 2023, Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev blamed the United States and Ukraine for the number of attacks in western Russia and said that "the terrorist attacks committed in Russia are accompanied by an information campaign prepared in advance in Washington and London, designed to destabilise the socio-political situation, and to undermine the constitutional foundations and sovereignty of Russia."[240]
Ukraine
Ukraine rejected the claims that it was responsible for the 14 April attacks, instead asserting that Russian intelligence services were trying to "carry out terrorist acts to whip up anti-Ukrainian hysteria" in the country.[241][26]
After the attack, the Security Service of Ukraine released what it claimed were intercepted conversations between Russian soldiers showing that Russia deliberately fired on the villages in order to blame Ukraine. One of the alleged soldiers refers to the Russian apartment bombings in 1999 where he says that the "same shit happened in the Chechen war. Apartments were blown up in Moscow, like they were terrorists. In fact, they are FSB officers."[242]
In response to accusations regarding the 13 April Bryansk border checkpoint incident by Russia's FSB security service, Ukrainian interior ministry advisor Anton Herashchenko said that something "fell and caught fire" at a Russian military facility, without explicitly confirming or denying Ukrainian responsibility.[21]
On 27 April 2022, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, commented on the recent incidents. Without directly admitting that Ukraine was responsible, he said that it was not possible to "sit out" the Russian invasion.
"And therefore, the disarmament of the Belgorod and Voronezh killers' warehouses is an absolutely natural process. Karma is a cruel thing."[243]
The Russian mystery fires are a series of unusual fires and explosions that have occurred since the invasion of Ukraine, which have not been formally explained. There have been many notable arson attacks on military recruitment offices in Russia since the beginning of the war, and there has been speculation that some of the fires or explosions have been the result of sabotage efforts by Russian partisans or Ukrainian saboteurs.
A series of border skirmishes has taken place along the Russia–Ukraine border in Sumy and Chernihiv Oblasts since the withdrawal of Russian troops from Northern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have stated that strikes across the border happen daily.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces have launched several missile attacks over the city of Dnipro in Ukraine. These have led to dozens of fatalities and over a hundred injuries among the civilian population.
The rail war began in different regions of Russia in the spring of 2022 after a similar rail war in Belarus.
This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 8 April 2022, when the area of heavy fighting shifted to the south and east of Ukraine, to 28 August 2022, the day before Ukraine announced the start of its Kherson counteroffensive.
This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 29 August 2022, when Ukraine's Kherson counteroffensive started, to 11 November 2022 when Ukrainian troops retook Kherson. In between, Ukraine launched a successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast. Starting in October, Russia began a campaign of massive strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.
Beginning in July 2022, a series of explosions and fires occurred on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula from where the Russian Army had launched its offensive on Southern Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Occupied since 2014, Crimea was a base for the subsequent Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast and Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The Ukrainian government has not accepted responsibility for all of the attacks.
During the autumn and winter of 2022–2023, Russia launched waves of missile and drone strikes against energy infrastructure as part of its invasion of Ukraine. The strikes targeted civilian areas beyond the battlefield, particularly critical power infrastructure, which is considered a war crime. By the end of 2023, Russian forces launched about 7,400 missiles and 3,900 Shahed drone strikes against Ukraine according to Ukrainian military officials.
Aerial warfare in the Russian invasion of Ukraine began at dawn of 24 February 2022, with infantry divisions and armored and air support in Eastern Ukraine, and dozens of missile attacks across Ukraine. The first fighting took place in Luhansk Oblast near the village of Milove on the border with Russia at 3:40 am Kyiv time. The main infantry and tank attacks were launched in four spearhead incursions, creating a northern front launched towards Kyiv, a southern front originating in Crimea, a south-eastern front launched at the cities of Luhansk and Donbas, and an eastern front. Dozens of missile strikes across Ukraine also reached as far west as Lviv. Drones have also been a critical part of the invasion, particularly in regards to combined arms warfare. Drones have additionally been employed by Russia in striking Ukrainian critical infrastructure, and have been used by Ukraine to strike military infrastructure in Russian territory.
This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 12 November 2022, following the conclusion of Ukraine's Kherson and Kharkiv counteroffensives, to 7 June 2023, the day before the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive began. Russia continued its strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure while the Battle of Bakhmut escalated.
On 2 March 2023, the Russian authorities said that an armed Ukrainian group crossed the border and attacked the villages of Lyubechane and Sushany in Bryansk Oblast. Russia said the attackers fired on a car, killing two civilians, before the Federal Security Service forced them back into Ukraine. The raid was claimed by the Russian Volunteer Corps; a paramilitary group of Russian citizens, based in Ukraine, which opposes the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin. Russia called the incident a terrorist attack, and said its 9 March missile strikes on Ukraine were retaliation. Ukraine's government denied involvement; it said the incident could have been a false-flag attack by Russia to justify its ongoing war against Ukraine, or else an attack by anti-government partisans from within Russia.
On the evening of 20 April 2023, a Russian Su-34 strike fighter accidentally dropped a bomb on the Russian city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine. The Russian authorities acknowledged the fact of the bombing, declaring the destruction in the city and the injury of three people.
On 22 May 2023, armed groups from Ukraine carried out a cross-border raid into Belgorod Oblast, Russia. Two Russian rebel groups allied with and based in Ukraine—the Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC)—claimed to have taken control of several border settlements, and clashed with Russian government forces. The Polish Volunteer Corps participated in the raid. Russian authorities said the attacks were conducted by a Ukrainian "sabotage group", and imposed counter-terrorism measures in the region. It is the largest cross-border attack during the war since the initial beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 8 June 2023, when the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive began, to 31 August 2023.
This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 1 September to 30 November 2023 during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.
This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 1 December 2023 to the present day.
On 30 December 2023, during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, explosions occurred in the city of Belgorod, Russia, killing at least 25 people and wounding over 100. Russian sources alleged the explosions were shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ukraine attributed the explosions to the work of Russian air defence.
On 19 January 2024, a drone from the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked an oil storage depot in the area of Bryansk in Russia. The Russian media reported that a fire caught and spread over 1000 square metres. The authorities in Bryansk reported no casualties at the time and the Bryansk governor claimed the drone was intercepted near the town of Klintsy and its explosives then fell on the oil depot. The drone strike was one of two attacks of Russian oil facilities.
On 12 March 2024, Ukrainian-backed Russian anti-government armed groups entered the territory of Belgorod and Kursk Oblasts in Russia from the territory of Ukraine. At least three groups, namely the Freedom of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps and Sibir Battalion participated in the incursion. They claimed control of four settlements in Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts, and multiple other areas remain under contested control. The Russian defence ministry denied this, repeatedly claiming it had beaten back the attackers and forced them to retreat, despite continued fighting in the region.
↑ ""Бєлгородська народна республіка": тролінг Данілова про пожежу на нафтобазі в росії"["Belgorod People's Republic": Danilov's trolling about the fire at the oil depot in Russia]. Інформаційне агентство Українські Національні Новини (УНН). Всі онлайн новини дня в Україні за сьогодні - найсвіжіші, останні, головні. (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 26 April 2022.
↑ "Russia-Ukraine live news: Donbas offensive 'has lost momentum'". Al Jazeera. 14–15 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022. (06:38 GMT) One person in Russian village wounded: governor One person was injured with a shrapnel wound after a Ukrainian strike hit the Russian village of Sereda, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, said on his Telegram channel. The town is in Shebekinsky district, next to the border with Ukraine.
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