Russia is experiencing a security threat that jeopardizes Vladimir Putin’s position as president of the country. British defense officials are reportedly alleging that Russia’s border is facing multiple threats after Belgorod oblast was recently targeted by overnight drones. The drones were shot down by defense systems, according to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Gladkov said that additional security forces were being deployed to the area as part of a counterterrorism operation. He added that villages were being evacuated and no civilian has been killed.
The British Ministry of Defense (MOD) claimed that Russia is going to use the situation to push its narrative that they are the victims of the war.
Explosions at Federal Security Bureau (FSB) and the Internal Affairs Ministry buildings were seen on social media. The explosions come after the Freedom of Russia Legion, a Russian group plotting to stage a coup, alleged that they had successfully overrun units from the city. While Ukraine denies participating or being involved in the internal fighting, Newsweek notes an expert who said that the situation is fitting nicely with Ukraine’s counteroffensive plans.
The situation on the ground is reportedly bloody as footage shows a Russian officer lying in a pool of blood while anti-government forces are riding past him in armored vehicles.
Despite Ukraine’s denial of involvement, Steven Horrell, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, casted some doubt on that claim and said that the internal skirmishes fit with its counteroffensive measures. He compared it to the alleged fake separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk almost a decade ago.
The news comes after a Russian warplane was seen flying near Alaskan airspace during several “planned, large-scale military training exercises,” according to a report by The Daily Mail. NORAD confirmed that the plane did not enter American or Canadian airspace.
