The Russian Defense ministry said that military and security forces have wiped out 70 Ukrainian “terrorists” and driven off others responsible for Monday’s attack on the border district of Grayvoronsky. But two Russian “anti-Putin” groups, the Liberty of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), have claimed responsibility for the attacks and say they have “completely liberated” the border town of Kozinka. The Ukraine-based groups say they have the goal of creating “a demilitarized zone on the border with the Russian Federation from which they will not be able to shell Ukraine.” While Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar called the groups “Russian patriots,” Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, called them “Ukrainian militants.” The attacks are thought to be the largest border incursion since the beginning of the war in February of last year.
