First exchanges of fire reported on Russian soil since the start of the invasion of Ukraine
Fuzzy as they are, Thursday’s firefights in the Bryansk region are the first reported on Russian soil since the start of the war, marking a notable shift in Russian perceptions of the conflict.
A few days before launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, Moscow had already evoked, in a crude staging, an incursion of Ukrainian soldiers and armored vehicles into its territory – episode among others supposed to prepare public opinion for the coming offensive.
Since then, the only reported attacks have come from the air: artillery fire on military objectives in border areas, sometimes with civilian casualties; drone attacks on targets deeper in Russian territory. In December, however, Moscow claimed to have shot down a group of four Ukrainian saboteurs in the same region of Bryansk, showing images of corpses.
Thursday’s events come as drone attacks have further intensified in recent days. Earlier this week, drones attacked several regions at once, damaging an oil refinery in the city of Tuapse (Krasnodar region). A drone even fell in the Moscow region, a first. Even further north, in Saint Petersburg, the airspace was closed for several hours on Tuesday, the army citing “workouts”.
Thursday, at the same time as the attacks in the Briansk region, bombardments were still reported in the neighboring region of Kursk, which serves as a rear base for the Russian army. One civilian was reportedly killed and another injured. Despite the gray areas surrounding it, this alleged Ukrainian infiltration has been widely commented on Russian ultranationalist Telegram channels or close to the army.
Throughout the day, they relayed rumors that were subsequently denied: shooting at a school bus, death of a child, taking of residents hostage… Many voices were raised to demand increased bombing of Ukrainian cities, a reinforced army control over border areas or actions aimed directly at military and political command.
Deputy Mikhail Delyagin thus asked “Zelensky’s Liquidation”. The Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov demanded for his part the imposition of martial law in all of southern Russia, while this is only in force in the regions annexed by Moscow. Any announcements will only be made on Friday, the day a National Security Council was convened.