Ukrainian Drones Attack Eight Regions in Russia; Two Oil Facilities Damaged

According to the Associated Press, Ukraine on Tuesday, March 13, launched a wave of long-range drones against targets in eight regions of Russia, causing damage to at least two of the country's oil facilities. The report also stated that soldiers whom Kyiv refers to as Russian fighters fighting for Ukraine crossed the border and entered Russia on Tuesday; an action that is claimed to have been carried out several times during the war between the two countries. Russia claims to have responded to these aggressive attacks. There is no possibility of verifying the claims of either side as the news regarding these claims is unclear, propagandistic, and contains misinformation. Gleb Nikitin, the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, reported that a Ukrainian drone attacked an oil facility, resulting in a fire at the site, which is 775 kilometers away from the Ukrainian border. Sergey Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, also stated that in another attack, a drone was shot down near Zhukovsky Airport, one of Moscow's four international airports. According to the Associated Press, these attacks are evidence of the increasing advancement of drone technology and Ukraine's audacity in bringing the war into Russian territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had stated last year that his country had developed a weapon capable of targeting objectives 700 kilometers away, seemingly referring to these drones. Ukraine has also increasingly deployed its naval drones in the Black Sea, claiming to have sunk several Russian warships. Ukraine, hopeful for military support from its Western partners, is fighting against a larger and better-equipped Russian army that is applying significant pressure in some frontline areas. In this context, Mr. Zelensky stated that recent Russian advances have been halted and the battlefield situation for Ukraine is significantly better than three months ago. Previously, the Russian army had captured the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine about three weeks ago. Meanwhile, Ukraine's attacks inside Russian territory coincide with the Russian presidential elections, and although it seems that Vladimir Putin will hold power for another six years, Ukraine's attacks undermine his claims that the war has had no impact on life in Russia. According to the report, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the interception of Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Leningrad, and Tula regions and separately reported the launch of a ballistic missile with a range of 70 kilometers and eight 'Vampire' missiles with an approximate range of 20 kilometers over the Belgorod region. Roman Starovoit, the governor of the Kursk region of Russia, also reported an unsuccessful attempt by Ukrainian soldiers to enter the border city of Tetkino. At the same time, soldiers from the Russian Freedom Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion, which according to Ukrainian officials are formed by opposing Russians, claimed in statements and posts on social media that they had entered Russian territory. However, the Associated Press states that it cannot independently verify these claims. The Russian Ministry of Defense, in its account of events, stated that all four attacks by Ukrainian fighters attempting to cross the Belgorod region were neutralized. In contrast, Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian intelligence agency, claimed that military groups formed by Russian citizens operate completely autonomously and independently. Russia claimed in May that dozens of Ukrainian militants had entered one of the border towns in the Belgorod region of Russia but were ultimately killed or forced to retreat.