- United States government distances itself from the Belgorod uprising
- Washington said that it was skeptical that American-provided military equipment was used in the incursion
- Russia said that the attack ended in the defeat of armed insurgents that entered from Ukrainian territory
The United States government is skeptical that American-provided military equipment was used in the Belgorod uprising.
The incursion into Russia was something that Moscow says ended in the defeat of armed insurgents who entered Ukrainian territory. On Monday, parts of the border region of Belgorod were under attack in what is considered one of the most major cross-border raids since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Belgorod Uprising
Later, Moscow released images of abandoned or damaged Western military vehicles, such as US-made Humvees. However, the American government insisted it did not "encourage or enable strikes inside Russia.
A state department spokesman acknowledged reports circulating on social media and other outlets that said U.S.-supplied weapons were used. However, he added that they were skeptical of such a possibility and could not verify the reports at the time, as per BBC.
During a Tuesday news briefing, Matthew Miller said it was up to Ukraine to decide how to conduct the war. The situation involves villages in Belgorod near the border that were forced to evacuate after being targeted by shellfire. Furthermore, Russia said 70 assailants were killed and argued that the fighters were Ukrainian.
However, Kyiv has denied involvement in the attack, and two Russian paramilitary groups opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin claim that they were the ones who conducted the incursion.
The raid on Monday prompted Moscow to declare a counter-terrorism operation that would give authorities special powers to clamp down on communications and people's movements. Officials only lifted the measures the following afternoon.
On Telegram, Russia's Ministry of Defense wrote that it utilized air strikes and artillery fire to strike back at the attackers that Moscow claims were "Ukrainian nationalists." According to The Hill, it added that they could destroy four armored fighting vehicles and five pickup trucks.
How To Conduct the War
Miller added that he thinks it is crucial to step back and remember that Russia is the actual aggressor in the war and is responsible for launching strikes on civilian infrastructure. He added that Moscow chose to bomb civilian targets, such as schools and hospitals, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians.
The situation comes as Poland plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets to assist its defense against Russia's aggression. The Polish defense minister announced after the US gave the green light.
In a statement, Mariusz Błaszczak said that Poland is ready to train Ukrainian pilots but noted that such training has not yet started. His remarks come after discussing with his European Union counterparts in Brussels.
The Polish defense minister added that he wants the training to be a part of a broader EU program to prepare Ukrainian military personnel for the war against Moscow. His comments came after EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that such training had already begun in various countries, said Aljazeera.