The Russian Investigative Committee has opened an investigation into the attack by “representatives of armed formations” on the Grajvoronski district in the Belgorod region. Investigators believe that a number of criminal offenses have been committed there, including: “terrorist attack” was carried out.
In a communiqué, the Investigative Committee of Russia announced that it had launched an investigation under six articles of the Criminal Code. The first concerns a “terrorist attack”. Another is the attempt on the life of law enforcement officials, attempted murder, willful destruction or damage to property, and illicit trafficking in weapons and explosives.
According to investigators, on Monday “representatives of armed formations attacked the Grajvoron district in the Belgorod region.” They also claim that these formations subjected “residential and administrative buildings, civil infrastructure facilities” to mortar and artillery fire. The Investigative Committee also reported that “several civilians were injured as a result of these crimes.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that “Ukrainian nationalists” had been “driven out of the Belgorod region”.
“The Kiev regime, after the defeat in the city of Artemovsk, began carrying out terrorist actions against the civilian population. On May 22, after intensive artillery shelling of the Kozinka checkpoint, as well as a number of other civilian objects in the Grajvoron district of the Belgorod region, a unit of the Ukrainian nationalist formation attacked the territory of Russia.” – we read in the communiqué of the Russian Ministry.
The ministry said that during the “anti-terrorist operation, aviation, artillery and units protecting the state border of the Western Military District blocked and defeated the nationalists.” “Their remnants were thrown back into Ukrainian territory, where the shelling continued until they were completely eliminated,” the statement added.
According to the Russian ministry, “more than 70 terrorists, four armored fighting vehicles and five pick-up trucks were eliminated.”
On Monday, a group of fighters from the Russian Volunteer Corps and the “Freedom of Russia” Legion attacked border towns in the Belgorod region of Russia. Ukrainian intelligence announced that Russians were responsible for the actions, while the Kremlin blamed Kiev for the attack.