MOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Russian forces killed a group of five saboteurs who breached the country's southwest border from Ukraine on Monday, news agencies quoted the military as saying, in an accusation that Kyiv dismissed as the latest in a series of fakes.
The accusations escalated already soaring tensions over a Russian military buildup. Kyiv and the West fear that a border incident near eastern Ukraine could be used as a pretext for Moscow to attack its neighbour. Russia denies such plans.
Russia's rouble fell to its weakest against the dollar since Jan. 27 on the reports, which quoted a statement from Russia's Southern Military District.
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It said that a Federal Security Service border patrol around 0300 GMT identified a sabotage and reconnaissance group that had breached the border in Rostov region, prompting it to call troops for backup. A clash ensued, it said.
"Two Ukrainian army infantry fighting vehicles crossed the state border into the Russian Federation to evacuate the sabotage group from the territory of Ukraine," it said.
"As a result of the engagement, five members of the sabotage and reconnaissance group who violated the Russian border were eliminated," it said.
The group was detected near the village of Mityanskaya in Russia's Rostov region, it said, adding that there were no casualties on the Russian side.
Ukraine dismissed the account as false information.
"Another fake. We don't have people there, nor could they be (there)," Ukraine's military said.
Fears are growing in Kyiv and the West that a false-flag operation - an act committed with the intent of pinning blame on another party - could be staged in eastern Ukraine and used as a pretext for Russia to attack.
Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; additional reporting by Alexander Marrow; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Mark Trevelyan
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AltNationReality on February 21st, 2022 at 16:05 UTC »
Really? Does anyone REALLY believe that Ukraine has invaded russia? It's horse shit on a level of stupid I thought no one was capable of.
Russia masses (pretty much) its entire army on the Ukraine border. It points ALL of its guns at Ukraine.... and Ukraine started it? That is a huge "Fuck you" to that narrative.
Here's a much more likely scenario: Donetsk and Luhansk are "attacked" and they beg russia for help. (Never mind that the attack came domestically or that the weapons used were russian made) the breakaway regions pledge fealty to russia and russia is happy to "help" them free themselves from oppression. Russia invades the breakaway regions and adds them to russia proper as new states.
Citizen7833 on February 21st, 2022 at 14:41 UTC »
So 2 BMPs drove through separatist territory without taking fire...so that those 2 BMPs and 5 soldiers (2 of which are seen on foot) can breach the border and do what? Take on the whole Russian army? Come on man. Try harder Putin.
Mhdamaster on February 21st, 2022 at 14:26 UTC »
The Ukranians could have tried to breach at any point in the last couple years but they waited until a Russian army was in the border ready to use that as justification for an invasion. LMFAO the Russian propaganda machine is not even trying anymore.