2023 Bryansk Oblast raid
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 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (March 2023) |
| 2023 Bryansk Oblast attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2022–23 Western Russia attacks | |
| Location | Lyubechane and Sushany, Bryansk Oblast |
| Date | 2 March 2023 11:30–14:30 (UTC+3) |
Attack type | Punitive expedition |
| Deaths | 2 (per Russia) |
| Injured | 1 (per Russia) |
| Perpetrators |  Russian Volunteer Corps  Ukraine (per Russia) |
On 2 March 2023, the Russian authorities reported an attack on the villages of Lyubechane and Sushany, bordering Ukraine, in the Bryansk Oblast. Not long after, the Russian Volunteer Corps, made up of far-right[1][2] anti-government Russian nationalists fighting for Ukraine,[2][3] took responsibility for the attack.[4] Ukraine called the attack a provocation.[5]
Attack
On 2 March 2023, at around 11:30 MSK, the Governor of Bryansk Oblast Alexander Bogomaz reported that a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group (Diversion-Reconnaissance Group - DRG) had infiltrated the territory of the village of Lyubechane, Klimovsky District. According to him, the saboteurs fired at a moving car, as a result of which one adult was killed and one child was injured.[6] Some Telegram channels first reported that a group of saboteurs attacked a school bus, but it soon became clear that it was still a car[clarification needed] in which the children were taken to lessons.[7]
Soon, Telegram channels began to write about the increased number of victims, the Federal Security Service said that "measures are being taken to destroy the armed Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border."[7] After the appearance of information about "Ukrainian saboteurs", TASS, citing a source in law enforcement agencies, wrote that the DRG had penetrated into two villages, Lubechane and Sushany, and took several residents hostage. “The soldiers of the Rosgvardia entered into a clash with the militants,” the agency's interlocutor added.[7]
In a later update, the FSB said the situation was under law enforcement control. It said that a large number of explosive devices had been found and demining was underway. It did not mention earlier reports by state news agencies about the hostage-taking.[8]
At 14:30, TASS, citing eyewitnesses, wrote that the “Ukrainian saboteurs” had ceased to show signs of activity and could have left the territory of Russia. “There is no one from the Ukrainian group on the territory of the Russian Federation, they all left. Now there is a search, possibly, for the remaining fighters of the VSU on our territory”, said one of the agency's sources.[7]
Victims
The Bryansk Oblast governor, Alexander Bogomaz, said two people were killed and an 11-year-old boy was wounded in the attack.[8][9]
Perpetrators
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Russian Volunteer Corps, a unit made up of Russian nationalists fighting for Ukraine.[8][1][9]
In two videos circulating online, gunmen say they crossed the border to fight "the bloody Putin and Kremlin regime". Calling themselves Russian "liberators", the gunmen urged the Russians to take up arms and rise up against the authorities.[8]
Reactions
Russia
President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in a televised address, accused the group of opening fire on civilians in a car, including children. "They won't achieve anything. We will crush them," Putin said, saying the group consisted of people who wanted to strip Russia of its history and language.[8]
Ukraine
Advisor to the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter: "The story of a Ukrainian sabotage group in the Russian Federation is a classic deliberate provocation." He said Russia "wants to scare its people to justify attacking another country and growing poverty after a year of war."[8]
Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian military intelligence, suggested that the composition of the sabotage group was a sign of an internal struggle within Russia.[8]
References
- ^ a b bjorn (2022-09-30). "Russian Volunteer Corps: Denis "WhiteRex" Kapustin is Back in Business". Antifascist Europe. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ a b "Kremlin accuses Ukraine of violent attack in western Russia". Washington Post. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ "Russian partisans with ties to Ukraine say they briefly took control of a village in Russia". New York Times. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ Brennan, David (2023-03-02). "What is the Russian Volunteer Corps? Hostages reportedly taken in Russia". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ "Ukraine live briefing: Blinken and Lavrov meet in New Delhi". Washington Post. 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ "Губернатор Брянской области сообщил о проникновении украинской диверсионной группы на территорию региона". Новая газета Европа. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ a b c d "Российские власти сообщили о проникновении "украинских диверсантов" в Брянскую область. Главное – Путин назвал произошедшее терактом, ответственность на себя взял "Русский добровольческий корпус"". Новая газета Европа. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g Osborn, Andrew; Trevelyan, Mark; Trevelyan, Mark (2023-03-02). "Putin says Ukrainian group attacks border region, Kyiv denies Russian 'provocation'". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- ^ a b ""Русский добровольческий корпус" заявил, что вошёл в село на Брянщине". Радио Свобода (in Russian). 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
