Pro-Ukraine militia claim control of Russian border town

(Dan Tri) – Pro-Ukraine armed forces announced that they had complete control of the town of Tetkino in Russia’s Kursk province after a raid on March 12.

Russian Volunteer Corps – pro-Ukraine armed force (Photo: AFP).

`We have complete control over the town of Tetkino in Kursk Oblast. Russian forces quickly withdrew from the town, leaving behind heavy equipment,` said the pro-Ukrainian armed group called the Russian Free Corps (FRL).

The group also posted a video seemingly recorded by a drone, showing Russian soldiers abandoning their positions and running through a field in Tetkino.

The statement was issued after FRL said that its forces from Ukraine, using tanks and heavy equipment, raided the Russian border.

`This is just the first day of the campaign… The most exciting things are still ahead,` said FRL spokesman Alexei Baranovsky.

In an interview with Reuters via the Zoom application from a secret location, Mr. Baranovsky said that a force of the FRL is currently in the Kursk region, Russia’s border province, bordering Ukraine.

`We are distracting the reserve forces, the attention of the Russian army. They are forced to transfer reserve troops… This is also our contribution to protecting Ukraine,` he said.

FRL claimed to have destroyed a Russian armored personnel carrier.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the raid by pro-Ukrainian forces on the Belgorod and Kursk border areas failed.

The Russian army repelled these armed groups before they could raid across the border.

In the Kursk region, the reconnaissance group also tried to raid the town of Tekino around 8:00 a.m., but failed and suffered heavy losses.

Commenting on this incident, Ukrainian officials affirmed that the above armed groups operate completely independently.

The incident took place in the context of Russia increasing security ahead of the 3-day presidential election from March 15 to March 17.

Last weekend, the US embassy and several European embassies in Russia advised their citizens to avoid crowded places in Moscow and major Russian cities due to fears of attacks by extremists.