March 12, 2024 (EIRNS)—Ukrainian forces launched more than two dozen drones aimed at seven different Russian cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, on the night of March 11. According to the Russian military, 26 drones had been intercepted and destroyed. There were several hits in Belgorod and one drone that hit Kursk. The drones set on fire an oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod and an oil depot in the Orel region. The attack on Belgorod hit the government building, injuring two people according to the governor of the region.
In addition there were incursions by Russian dissident forces, working in collaboration with the Ukrainian secret service, in the Belgorod and Kursk regions, but which were also thrown back with many casualties among the Ukrainian forces. The incursions were conducted by The Free Russian Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion. Most of these groups are composed of ultra-nationalist members. The Russian Defense Department reported that the Ukrainian forces involved in the attack lost 234 soldiers, seven tanks, three Bradley fighting vehicles, and two armored personnel carriers.
