Ukrainian intelligence services have increased their activity along Russia’s borders and have been trying to recruit local residents, according to the first deputy director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and head of its Border Guard Service, General Vladimir Kulishov.
In an interview with RIA Novosti published on Tuesday, the general stated that the situation on the Russia-Ukraine border and in nearby territories remains “tense,” particularly as Kiev, despite the failure of its counteroffensive last year, has continued its attacks with the help of its Western backers.
Kulishov noted that the number of missile and artillery attacks on Russian territories has not decreased, while drone strikes on military, transport, energy and public infrastructure have continued to increase, leading to predominantly civilian casualties. He reported that in 2023 alone, Russian border guards shot down over 1,300 Ukrainian drones that traversed the border.
He also noted that Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups, which often include foreign mercenaries and members of international terrorist organizations, continue their attempts to penetrate into Russian territory.
“In total, since the beginning of the Special Military Operation, in the Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod and Crimean directions, border authorities […] have stopped 29 such attempts,” Kulishov reported, noting that the biggest surge in terrorist activities was recorded in the run-up to the Russian presidential election in March.
“With the assistance of Western patrons, primarily the USA and Great Britain, the intelligence activity of the Ukrainian special services is increasing, accompanied by attempts to involve residents of border areas in intelligence and subversive activities,” the general said.
He added that, in addition to this, in order to destabilize the situation and to “promote panic among the population,” a number of foreign non-governmental organizations and media have been conducting “information and psychological operations,” disseminating “anti-Russian fake information.”
However, despite the attempts by Ukraine’s special services and their foreign curators, Russians living in the border regions have continued to actively assist the border guards in protecting the country, Kulishov said, noting that residents have formed entire detachments of voluntary assistants.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed earlier this month that if Kiev continues shelling Russian residential districts, Moscow would be forced to create a buffer zone along the border. That’s as Russian forces have continued to gain ground in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkov region.