Russian war of aggression: New drone strike in Belgorod, Moscow reports incident with US bombers

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Alleged Russian retaliation in the Belgorod region (recording of the Russian Ministry of Defense on May 23)

Photo: RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY / via REUTERS

What happened in the past few hours

The governor of the Belgorod region of Russia, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported on his Telekram channel about an explosive device dropped by a drone. There were no casualties, he wrote to a picture of a damaged car. A drone was later shot down by anti-aircraft fire.

The "nationalist" groups that entered the border region of Belgorod the day before had been "stopped and destroyed" by an "anti-terrorist operation," the Russian Defense Ministry said. The anti-terrorism rules introduced in the region on Monday have been lifted, according to the local governor. According to him, a civilian also died in the attack. (You can read more about the situation in Belgorod here.)

This is what Kiev says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to expand the country's marine infantry. With the formation of a Marian infantry corps, new brigades are to be added to existing units, Zelensky said in his evening video address. "And we will equip them with modern weapons and equipment," he added. Zelensky had visited Ukrainian marines at the front on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president had been abroad in the days before, including summits in Saudi Arabia and Japan. In his speech, he emphasized that "all international communication" serves to strengthen Ukraine and its defense.

According to official information, Zelensky was on the road during Tuesday's visit to the front in the region between the villages of Wuhledar and Maryinka. Both places are considered hotspots of war and are fiercely contested.

This is what Moscow says

Russia reports an incident in which a military jet was sent to intercept two US bombers in the event of a border crossing. The Pentagon spoke of a long-planned exercise in Europe. The interaction with the crew of the Russian aircraft was "safe and professional," said a spokesman for the US Department of Defense in Washington.

According to military sources, the Russian Su-27 interceptor took off after two foreign aircraft approached Russian airspace over the Baltics, according to Itar-Tass and Interfax news agencies. They had been identified as American supersonic B-1B bombers. The planes would then have moved away from Russian airspace again.

According to Itar-Tass, the incident occurred back on March 23, Interfax did not give a date. There was also no information on how close the B-1 bombers came to Russian airspace. The Pentagon said that the bombers were part of a formation that regularly travels to different countries.

Russia also reported a power outage in three villages following a drone attack on a substation in the Kursk region. Repairs are underway, Governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram. There were no casualties. The information cannot be independently verified. Since the invasion, Russian regions near the Ukrainian border have repeatedly reported attacks on their civilian infrastructure. Ukraine rejects the allegations.

Arms supplies to Ukraine

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have already received about 220,000 artillery shells and mortar shells through the new EU initiative for ammunition deliveries. This was announced by a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday after a defence ministers' meeting in Brussels. In addition, according to their information, around 1300 missiles were delivered, including anti-tank missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-aircraft missiles.

The EU states had promised Ukraine in March to provide Ukraine with one million new artillery shells and missiles for the defensive war against Russia within twelve months. They are to be organised from the Member States' holdings, but in the future also through new joint procurement projects.

Economic consequences

The Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo wants to withdraw permanently from Russia, according to a newspaper report. The fashion chain has decided to leave Russia, the Russian daily »Izvestia« quoted Russian Deputy Minister of Trade, Viktor Yevtuchov, as saying on Tuesday. This clears the way for a sale of the company.

"I think they can offer their business model to potential buyers." According to the report, there are no offers from potential buyers so far, as the company has yet to submit an application to the Russian government for a sale. Uniqlo says it owns around 50 stores in Russia. Parent company Fast Retailing did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Uniqlo had suspended its Russian business following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.

jok/dpa/Reuters