Ukrainian ‘saboteurs’ killed on border with Russia – Moscow
Several Ukrainian saboteurs were intercepted on Sunday while trying to enter Russia, according to the FSB security service. Four members of the group were killed in a firefight, the agency said.
The FSB claimed the saboteurs were armed with submachine guns produced by the German firm SIG Sauer, and carried “communication and navigation equipment and means for conducting acts of sabotage and terrorism.” The group also had in its possession four improvised explosive devices with a combined yield equivalent to 40 kg of TNT, the statement added.
The agency released graphic footage, purportedly from the scene of the firefight. It showed several, apparently lifeless, bodies in winter camouflage, with weapons lying on or next to them. At least some of the fighters were armed with carbines rather than SMGs, according to the video.
The Bryansk Region is one of several in Russia operating under a ‘yellow’ terrorist threat alert, the second-highest on Russia’s three-level color scale, due to its proximity to Ukraine.
Since November, eight federal subjects of Russia, including the Bryansk Region, have been living under special law enforcement conditions, which grant their leaders additional authority. For example, they can restrict access to the provinces or order evacuation from places that they deem unsafe.
