11 Killed in Shooting at Belgorod Military Base – Russia
On Sunday, as fighting raged in eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian authorities announced the opening of a criminal investigation into the shooting deaths of 11 people at a military training ground near the Ukrainian border
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that shooters opened fire at a training ground used by the Russian military near Ukraine, killing at least 11 people and wounding 15 others. In a press release, the ministry said the ‘terrorist’ attack took place on Saturday in Belgorod, a region bordering Ukraine in the country’s southwestern region. In the report, the two assailants from what is believed to be an unspecified former Soviet republic opened fire on volunteer soldiers during target practice. They were killed in exchange for fire from the Russian soldiers.
On Sunday, as fighting raged in eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian authorities announced the opening of a criminal investigation into the shooting deaths of 11 people at a military training ground near the Ukrainian border.#Ukraine#Shooting#Belgorod#Ukrainianborder#Russiapic.twitter.com/mMEyED5eig
In a statement to the press, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, said that no residents were killed or injured in the attack. Hundreds of thousands fled Russia after the Russian government ordered a hasty mobilization of its military in Ukraine – a move that triggered demonstrations and anti-Russian demonstrations. Moreover, this incident occurred less than a week after a blast destroyed a bridge in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The defense ministry reported that during a firearms training session, terrorists opened fire on unit members who expressed a voluntary desire to participate in an extraordinary military operation (against Ukraine). During a YouTube interview, Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that the attackers came from Tajikistan and fired upon the others after a religious argument. In the independent Russian news website Sota Vision, the attack was reported to have occurred in Soloti, a small town near the Ukrainian border, approximately 105 kilometers southeast of Belgorod.
Poorly Protected
A senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute says the shooting displays how angry Russians and former Soviet states are about Putin’s mobilization. When someone can arrive at a Russian military base without knowledge of what they are doing, it demonstrates how poorly protected Russia’s military bases are. Furthermore, it illustrates the inexperience of the Russian authorities in this regard. The soldiers could not even kill the insurgents after one of them was shot. During the attack, 11 soldiers were shot,” Braw told Al Jazeera.
11 Killed in Shooting at Belgorod Military Base – Russia Source: Web
Russian Shelling
Ukraine’s Armed Forces General Staff reported Sunday that Russian forces shelled Ukrainian positions on several fronts, including towns in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson. In the Donetsk region and the vicinity of Avdiivka, Russian troops were attempting to advance on Bakhmut. In his nightly video address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that there had been intense fighting around the town of Bakhmut and Soledar.
“The key hot spots in Donbas are Soledar and Bakhmut,” Zelensky said. There is much fighting there.” Following the Russian military’s takeover of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk in June and July, Bakhmut has been the next target in their slow advance through the Donetsk region. In addition, there is a small town called Soldar, located just north of Bakhmut.
Three of the four provinces President Putin declared part of Russia last month have been particularly affected by fighting over the past few days. These areas include the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Kherson, a southern strategic province. On Sunday, the Russian-backed administration of Donetsk reported damage to the administration building after Ukrainian forces shelled the city. “This was a direct hit to the building, and the damage is serious. It is a miracle that no one was killed in this incident,” said Alexei Kulemzin, surveying the debris and pointing out that all city services are operational.
Ukrainian officials did not respond directly to the attack on the city of Donetsk, which Russian-backed separatists annexed2014 in conjunction with several other parts of the eastern Donbas region. Earlier on Say, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had repelled Ukrainian offensives in the Donetsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions. However, it noted that significant losses had been inflicted on Ukrainian troops.
