FATMA KHALED
Sergey Mardan, Solovyov Live host and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, recently warned that attacks "deep inside Russia" will increase amid the country's ongoing war in Ukraine, which was launched last February.
Last month, a number of attacks inside Russia was reported, with Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod region, claiming that roughly 850 missiles and other projectiles were launched at Shebekino, a municipality in the region located just near the border with Ukraine. The governor added that the strikes injured 16 people, who were treated at a hospital and killed two women from the village of Maslova Pristan.
Buildings in the region, that included office and industrial structures were also damaged, according Gladkov. While Ukraine claimed that it was not responsible for the attacks, Pro-Ukraine Russian rebel groups were reportedly positioned in Belgorod, even though the Kremlin previously said they have been repelled. One of the groups, the Freedom of Russia Legion, posted extensive combat footage online at the time and said it has met with strong resistance from Russian forces.
Ukraine has recently launched its long-awaited counteroffensive, bolstered with military aid from the West to defeat Russia and take back its territories. Though Putin and his allies, including Mardan, were confident that Kyiv would fall very quickly, the war-torn country has shown a strong defense response that exceeded expectations.
Officers of the Russian army and secret services are seen on June 27 in Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks. Sergey Mardan, "Solovyov Live" host and an ally of Putin, recently warned that attacks "deep inside Russia" will increase amid the country's ongoing war in Ukraine, which was launched last February.
During a Russian TV segment posted Sunday to Twitter with English subtitles by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian internal affairs minister, Mardan said he is worried that Ukrainian drones would reach more places in Russia.
"The strategy that the enemy is implementing is aimed at capturing Kursk [located near Ukrainian cities] in order to bring the war to the territory of Russia. For instance, drone attacks, well, the number of attacks is certainly increasing. It's a statistic, it's not hard to check. And there is no doubt about the fact that the density of these attacks will continue to increase. They will improve their weapons. Yes, our air defense works perfectly well, but it is useless to console ourselves with this," said Mardan.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of occupied Crimea, said at the time that a railway line in the peninsula's Feodosia region "was damaged" during an overnight incident.
Russian propagandist Mardan is worried that drones reach more and more places in Russia these days. Sabotages on railways have become more frequent.
From "Kyiv in three days" to "Russian air defense might not cope". pic.twitter.com/aIPzDZzvM3— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) July 16, 2023
"What if it's shelling? And if it's sabotage attacks? And during this frozen conflict, how do you imagine almost daily news about sabotage attacks on railroads on Russia? I mean just look at the data, its not hard. Anyone can check the number of attempts or the number of successful attempts to set relay cabinets on fire. That is the enemy, is engaged in terror and sabotage deep inside Russia," Mardan added during the TV segment.
Newsweek reached out by email to the Ukrainian foreign affairs ministry for comment.
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