In order to secure “fast” Russian military and civilian movement into Ukrainian territories already under Moscow control, President Vladimir Putin issued stricter border security orders on Sunday.
Putin said their duty was to “reliably cover” the lines close to the conflict zone in a letter of congratulations to the border service, a division of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia.
Attacks within Russia have increased in ferocity in recent weeks, mostly with drone attacks on border areas but also progressively further into the nation, notably on an oil pipeline on Saturday northwest of Moscow.
In a message sent on the Kremlin’s Telegram messaging channel, Putin said that “it is necessary to ensure the fast movement of both military and civilian vehicles and cargo, including food, humanitarian aid, and building materials sent to the new subjects of the (Russian) Federation.”
The four Ukrainian provinces of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk are the ones that Putin declared annexed last September after what Kyiv alleged were phony referendums. The four territories are only partially under Russian authority.
Officials said on Saturday that three people had been wounded by Ukrainian shelling in Belgorod, an area that pro-Ukrainian forces had targeted earlier this week, raising concerns about Russia’s defense and military might.
Attacks that have destroyed the military, rail, and electricity infrastructure have most often targeted the Russian borderlands of Kursk and Belgorod, with local authorities blaming Ukraine.
Although Kyiv virtually never officially accepts blame for assaults within Russia and on Ukrainian territory under Russian control, it has claimed that destructing infrastructure serves as a prelude to its intended ground offensive.
On Saturday, Ukraine made it known that it was prepared to begin a long-promised counteroffensive to retake land lost to Russia during the 15-month struggle, a fight that has cost thousands of lives and reduced Ukrainian towns to ruins.