One person was wounded in an attack on a Russian village near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday that a Russian official is blaming on Ukraine.
The alleged shelling occurred about 8 miles from the Ukrainian border in the village of Golovchino in Russia’s Belgorod region. One woman was hurt in the attack, according to the region’s governor. It is at least the 12th incident in the region that could have been the work of Ukrainian forces. Some, however, have raised the specter that Russia may be conducting false flag attacks near the border to justify escalation against Ukraine.
“There was shelling from the Ukrainian side of the village of Golovchino, Graivoronsky district. There [is] destruction,” Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said on Telegram, adding that a female resident was injured and receiving medical care.
An image of a building reportedly damaged in the shelling was shared by Russian media.
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#Russian media published a photo from the site of shelling in the #Belgorod region. pic.twitter.com/J3tzBg8OSb
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 19, 2022
The Belgorod region has reported 12 incidents of shelling, explosions, and military vehicle accidents since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, according to the Moscow Times, an independent Russian media outlet.
The outlet reported that residents of Belgorod are fearful of the violence spilling across the border and many have evacuated the region.
Last week, the Russian Ministry of Defense threatened to strike “decision-making centers” in Kyiv if Ukrainian forces continue attacks across the border in Russia.
Alleged attacks in Belgorod last week were followed by a bombardment by Russian forces on the Ukrainian capital city.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for any of the incidents in Russian territory.
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Before Russia’s invasion, U.S. officials warned that the Kremlin could stage false flag attacks that would be blamed on Ukraine as a pretext for war.
The threat of false flag attacks was heightened once again when Russian officials raised terrorism alert levels in several parts of the country earlier this month. The move coincided with Russian reports of Ukrainian shelling in border towns and the repositioning of Russian troops to the Donbas region as the Kremlin prepares to escalate the war.
