The situation in Russia’s Bryansk Region is under the control of law enforcement agencies, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Thursday after a cross-border attack by saboteurs based in Ukraine. The agency also confirmed earlier reports that one local resident had been killed in the attack and that an 11-year-old child had received a gunshot wound.
Bryansk officials have since added that a second man has also been killed by the saboteurs in the village of Lyubechane.
The FSB has stated that the area is currently being checked and that a large number of explosive devices of various types have been found. Bomb squads are working on the scene to disarm the explosives.
On Thursday morning a number of Ukrainian saboteurs crossed the Russian border and launched raids on Lyubechane and Sushany. The gunmen attacked a civilian vehicle, killing one man and injuring a child. At the same time, Bryansk Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz also reported artillery and mortar strikes in the area.
The FSB along with the Russian Defense Ministry have since reported that they are taking measures to eliminate the attackers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the incident as a “terrorist attack,” identifying the people responsible for such acts as “neo-Nazis and terrorists.” He also suggested whoever was behind Thursday’s attack may have also been responsible for the assassination of Russian journalist Darya Dugina, whose car was blown up near Moscow in August.
Russia’s regions bordering Ukraine have been repeatedly attacked by Kiev’s forces in recent months. On Thursday, the governors of Bryansk and Kursk regions reported that Ukrainian troops had shelled local villages. Kursk officials confirmed that one person was killed in the attack.