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Reported cross-border incidents in Western Russia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There have been attacks in mainland Russia as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. The main targets have been the military, the arms industry and the oil industry. Many of the attacks have been drone strikes, firebombing, and rail sabotage. The Ukrainian intelligence services have acknowledged carrying out some of these attacks. Others have been carried out by anti-war activists in Russia. There have also been cross-border shelling, missile strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine, mainly in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts. Several times, Ukrainian-based paramilitaries launched incursions into Russia, captured border villages and battled the Russian military. These were carried out by units made up mainly of Russian emigrants. While Ukraine supported these ground incursions, it denied direct involvement.
 | It has been suggested that Belarusian and Russian partisan movement (2022–present) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2024. |
| Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War | |
| |
| Location | |
| Date | 25 February 2022 – present |
| Executed by | |
| Casualties | 347+ civilians killed[1] unknown military deaths |
In August 2024, the Ukrainian military launched an offensive into Kursk Oblast and captured numerous settlements. It was the biggest attack into Russia since the war began and the first carried out primarily by Ukrainian regular forces.
In response to the invasion, there have also been attacks on Russian forces in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
On 25 February 2022, the Millerovo air base was attacked, allegedly with Tochka-U missiles, presumedly by the Ukrainian 19th Missile Brigade.[2]
On 1 March, there was an explosion on a military air base in Taganrog in Rostov Oblast. There were claims that it was due to Ukrainian action.[3]
On 23 and 24 March, Governor of Belgorod Oblast Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that Zhuravlyovka and Nekhoteyevka came under shelling from the Ukrainian side. The next day, the Moscow Patriarchate claimed that chaplain Oleg Artyomov died in Zhuravlyovka as a result of a BM-30 Smerch strike by Ukraine.[4]
On 29 March, local officials reported a series of explosions outside the city of Belgorod, close to the border with Ukraine. It was later reported that those explosions may have been caused by a fire.[5]
On 1 April 2022, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov and an unnamed US official, two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopters attacked and set fire to a fuel depot in Belgorod in a low-altitude airstrike with no reported casualties.[6][7][8] Ukraine denied and dismissed the event as Russian propaganda.[9][10] Ukrainian security official Oleksiy Danilov denied Ukraine was behind the helicopter attack,[11][10] with a joke in which he blamed the "People's Republic of Belgorod" instead.[12][13][14] On the same day, a rocket exploded in a different part of the oblast, but its apparent trajectory and model led open-source researchers to suspect it was a failed Russian missile.[15]
On 11 April, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Voronezh Oblasts all raised their terror alert system to "yellow", the second tier in a three-class system.[16][17] The Republic of Crimea and Krasnodar Krai raised their alert levels in certain districts. Authorities in Belgorod ordered a two-week ban on fireworks and firecrackers.[16]
On 14 April 2022, the FSB border service reported that on 13 April, a border checkpoint near Novye Yurkovichi, Bryansk Oblast came under mortar fire from Ukraine while a group of around 30 Ukrainian refugees headed for Russia was present there. According to the official claims, two automobiles were damaged but no injuries were documented.[18][19][20][21]
On the same day, regional and municipal authorities stated that Ukraine had shelled the village of Spodaryushino (near Mokraya Orlovka) in Belgorod Oblast, causing several explosions. While no injuries occurred, the village's population was temporarily evacuated, out of concerns about a possible escalation. A neighboring settlement also had its population relocated.[22] Governor of Belgorod Oblast Vyacheslav Gladkov said that the attack "had come from the Ukrainian side."[19] In a separate alleged attack a resident of Zhuravlyovka was injured, according to Gladkov.[23][24]
Also on 14 April, the Investigative Committee of Russia said Ukrainian attack helicopters had launched six missile strikes on residential areas in the town of Klimovo, Bryansk Oblast, damaging six buildings.[25][26] Officials at the Russian Health Ministry said that seven people had been injured, two of which had been hurt seriously.[26] According to personnel at the city's hospital, among those injured were a pregnant woman and a two-year-old child.[20][19] According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, an unverified video of a house in Bryansk burning went viral on the internet.[20] The next day, Russian security services claimed they had shot down a Mil Mi-8 helicopter during the incident.[27]
On 15 April, Russia launched major missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in retaliation for alleged cross-border attacks.[27] The Russian strikes were the largest of their kind to take place since Russia aborted its 2022 Kyiv offensive.[28]
Ukraine rejected claims that it was responsible for the 14 April 2022 attacks, instead asserting that Russian intelligence services were trying to "carry out terrorist acts to whip up anti-Ukrainian hysteria" in the country.[29][26] After the attack, the Security Service of Ukraine released what it claimed were intercepted conversations between Russian soldiers showing that Russia deliberately fired on the villages in order to blame Ukraine. One of the alleged soldiers refers to the Russian apartment bombings in 1999 where he says that the "same shit happened in the Chechen war. Apartments were blown up in Moscow, like they were terrorists. In fact, they are FSB officers".[30] Ukrainian interior ministry advisor Anton Herashchenko said that something "fell and caught fire" at a Russian military facility, without explicitly confirming or denying Ukrainian responsibility.[21]
On 19 April, Belgorod's governor accused Ukrainian forces of striking the village of Golovchino, damaging more than 30 houses and lightly wounding 3 residents.[31] On 25 April, according to the Belgorod governor, at least two residents, a man and a woman, were injured in Zhuravlyovka as a result of shelling.[32]
On the same day, another attack happened in Bryansk: in the morning, two large explosions and fires occurred at two oil facilities, a civilian one and a military one. Videos and images posted on social media showed large columns of black smoke several hours after the initial explosions. An analyst told The Guardian that the fires were likely an act of sabotage by Ukraine, although responsibility remained uncertain.[33][34] Unconfirmed reports in the Russian media suggested the fires could have been caused by a drone attack; on the same day, two Bayraktar TB2 drones were reportedly shot down in Bryansk Oblast.[35]
On 29–30 April, a border checkpoint near Krupets in Rylsky District of Kursk Oblast was repeatedly shelled, according to the governor. The Bryansk governor said that his region was shelled as well.[36][37]
On 11 May, the Belgorod governor claimed that Solokhi was shelled from Ukraine. According to him, one person was killed and seven were injured as a result of the incident.[38] Videos online also showed damage to stores and private houses, local officials reportedly began evacuating the village after the attack.[39] The deceased was identified as Ruslan Nefyodov, aged 18.[40]
On 15 May, Gladkov said that one person was injured with a shrapnel wound in Sereda after a Ukrainian strike,[41] as 10 shells were reportedly shot down by Russian air defense systems. Another 10 shells fell close to Novostroyevka-Vtoraya, while another round of eight artillery shells reportedly damaged a power line and a number of farming structures in Zhuravlyovka.[42]
On 17 May, Gladkov claimed that one more person was slightly injured in Bezymeno as it was shelled from the territory of Ukraine.[43] Kursk governor said that the border checkpoint at Tyotkino had been shelled once again on the same day, no victims were reported.[43] On 18 May, Gladkov declared that Solokhi was shelled again, and one person was reportedly injured.[44] Kursk governor Starovoyt reported that Alekseevka, Glushkovsky District, was shelled.[45] On 19 May, Starovoyt claimed that a distillery in Tyotkino was shelled, a truck driver died, and at least one civilian was wounded.[46][47][48] On the same day, Alekseevka and Dronovka were reportedly shelled.[49]
On 25 May, Gladkov claimed that one person was wounded in Zhuravlyovka as it was shelled "from the territory of Ukraine".[50] Zhuravlyovka and Nekhoteyevka were subject to continuous shelling on 26 May. A woman died from her wounds in the hospital the next day.[51][52][53] On 26 May, Starovoyt said that Vorozhba, Sudzhansky District came under shelling "from the Ukrainian side", and a local school teacher was wounded by broken glass.[54]
On 6 June, a bridge at Tyotkino was shelled, damaging it. Near the bridge, a block of apartments was badly damaged, a car was burnt out and the local sugar refinery suffered some damage.[55]
Klintsy and its surrounding regions in Bryansk Oblast were shelled for three days straight beginning on 12 June. The first two days of attacks were more minor incidents targeting military bases, with little to no casualties. On 14 June a helicopter fired missiles at residential areas in the city, damaging dozens of houses and ripping a woman's leg off.[56] Authorities recorded six injuries on 14 June.[57] As a result of the attacks, Klintsy and the surrounding region was left without water and electricity.[58]
On 22 June, the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov Oblast was reportedly hit by a suicide drone, no casualties were reported.[59]
The Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists sabotaged a railway line near Moscow on 25 June, to hinder the supply of equipment to a military base. They issued a statement online saying: "Every stopped train means less shells and rockets to fly into peaceful Ukrainian cities ... We call on everyone to join the rail war!".[60]
On 3 July, officials said that a group of explosions targeting civilian areas in Belgorod had killed at least five people and injured four, several buildings and private houses were damaged or destroyed, anti-aircraft defense systems reportedly activated, but one projectile hit an apartment building.[61][62] Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack and Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that Russia had shot down three Ukrainian Tochka U ballistic missiles armed with cluster warheads. Ukraine denied it was responsible.[63][64][65]
A civilian was killed and two hospitalized after shelling hit the town of Valuyki in Belgorod Oblast on 15 September, according to regional authorities.[66][67] Earlier, Russian authorities had reported that a border checkpoint on Nekhoteevka was attacked and that the customs terminal had caught on fire.[68]
On 11 October, an explosion was reported at an electric substation in Shebekino; some residents were left without energy.[69] On 15 October, new explosions were reported in Belgorod; an oil depot reportedly caught on fire.[70] On 16 October, explosions were reported at an airport in Belgorod; videos online show anti-aircraft systems firing and smoke rising on the airport after an apparent missile strike, with two people reportedly being wounded.[71]
On 1 November, the settlement of Krasnooktyabrsky in Glushkovsky District was reportedly shelled by Ukrainian forces; no injuries were reported, a five-story building was damaged and several windows were blown. Another attack was reported in Kozynka; one person was reportedly wounded in the shelling.[72] On 2 November, 5 civilians, including 3 children, were reportedly injured after shells hit the village of Guyevo, Sudzhansky District. Several private houses and stores were damaged in the attack; the village was left without electricity as power lines were either destroyed or damaged following the explosions.[73]
On 14 November, Russian media reported several blasts in the Belgorod region.[74] On 15 November, 2 civilians were killed and 3 injured by shelling in Shebekino, Belgorod Oblast; the shells reportedly hit apartment buildings and a nearby pharmacy.[75] The governor of Belgorod said that an 80-year-old woman died of her wounds in the hospital and that a man was killed and another was injured by parts of a missile that was shot down by air defense.[76] On 16 November, in the village of Stalnoy Kon, Oryol Oblast, an unmanned aerial vehicle reportedly attacked an oil depot; no casualties were reported.
On 5 December, two airbases reported explosions, allegedly caused by Ukrainian drone attacks. At Engels-2 air base in Saratov Oblast, 2 Tu-95s were reportedly damaged. At Dyagilevo air base in Ryazan Oblast, an oil truck exploded, killing three soldiers and injuring four.[77] On 6 December, Governor of Kursk Oblast Roman Starovoyt announced that an oil reservoir near Kursk-Khalino airbase caught on fire as a result of a drone attack; no casualties were reported and the fire was quickly put out.[78] Following the alleged Ukrainian drone strikes, Russian forces launched a new wave of attacks against Ukrainian cities.[79] A missile reportedly fell on Moldova as a result of the Russian attack.[80]
On 17 December, explosions were reported in Belgorod, a local resident's car was reportedly damaged by a fragment of ammunition debris.[81] On 18 December, explosions were reported again in Belgorod, officials claimed that they were the result of anti-aircraft fire; several cars and houses were damaged by debris, 4 people were wounded in the city itself, and 1 person was killed in the suburbs, local Telegram channels also posted images showing thick black smoke rising over the city.[82]
More explosions were reported elsewhere in Belgorod Oblast, a poultry farm was reportedly hit; 2 people, including 1 employee of the farm, died as a result of the explosions, 3 other employees were also wounded during the alleged attack, local Telegram channels showed videos allegedly showing the aftermath of the attack.[82] On 25 December, three soldiers were killed in another attack on Engels air base.[83]
On 4 January 2023, the Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists claimed responsibility for an explosion that damaged the Trans-Siberian Railway in Krasnoyarsk. The rail line was used by the Russian Army to transport supplies to occupied Ukraine.[84]
On 11 February, the Governor of the Belgorod Oblast reported that Ukrainian Grad missiles had hit the city of Shebekino, and that as a result of the attack, three men had been wounded, one building of an industrial enterprise had been destroyed and a bus stop, as well as three private cars, had been damaged. Another attack with Grad rockets was reported later, with local authorities claiming that the missiles had hit two private houses, one of which caught on fire as result of the strike.[85]
On 22 February, regional authorities reported that two people had been injured by shelling in Shebekino, and that three houses were damaged from shelling in Pervoye Tseplyayevo.[86] On February 28, a Rosneft oil depot in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, caught on fire after an alleged drone attack. Locals reported several explosions in the depot, which local officials blamed on two drones that allegedly crashed into the terminal and exploded. The boiler room was reportedly damaged, although the local government denied any damage to the facility's oil tanks; there were no victims, and the fire was quickly extinguished.[87] On the same day, an FSB border service observation tower was damaged by an UAV, allegedly from Ukraine.[88]
On 4 March, a drone carrying an improvised explosive device attacked a substation of the Transneft-Druzhba oil pipeline in Belgorod Oblast. Four people were evacuated, but no injuries were reported.[89] On 6 March, more attacks were reported in Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts. Starovoyt claimed the village of Iskra suffered power outages after energy facilities reported damages during the attack. According to Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, in the town of Novy Oskol, although three missiles were shot down, one civilian was injured and several buildings in the town were damaged, in addition to power outages.[90]
On 15 March, two missiles were downed by air defense systems over the city of Belgorod, according to Belgorod Oblast Governor Gladkov, with no injuries or damage reported.[91] On 27 March, a drone attacked an gas station in Belgorod late in the evening; no casualties were reported.[92]
On 6 April, an drone with several cameras crashed in the Fakel Machine-Building Design Bureau in Khimki, Moscow Oblast; the drone was allegedly downed by communication jammers, and was found by security guards patrolling the region.[93] On 9 April, Belgorod Governor Gladkov claimed that Ukrainian forces had shelled the border town of Voznesenovka, Shebekinsky District; two houses and one farm were damaged by shells, but no casualties were reported.[94]
On 10 April, a drone carrying a bomb crashed into a fence at Belgorod airport, no casualties were reported, but the explosion damaged the airport's fence and alarm system.[95] On 16 April, a drone attacked an electrical substation in Belgorod, no casualties were reported.[96]
On 3 May, Russia said it had shot down two drones over the Moscow Kremlin and accused Ukraine of sending them to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.[97] The Ukrainian government denied the accusations, calling them fabricated.[98] Also on 3 May, several explosions and a fire were reported early on the morning at the Port of Taman, near the village of Volna, Krasnodar Krai, images show flames and smoke over what is believed to be large fuel tanks, no casualties were reported, Russian media outlets blamed the explosions and subsequent fire on an alleged Ukrainian drone attack; the port is about 15 km from the Crimean Bridge and is used as a logistic hub for operations in Southern Ukraine.[99]
Another attack was reported on the same day in Bryansk Oblast, where, allegedly, five Ukrainian drones attacked a military airfield, two drones reportedly hit their targets on the airfield, whereas two were destroyed and one was not found, no casualties were reported, one unoperated An-124 military transport aircraft was slightly damaged during the attack, according to local media outlets.[100]
On 4 May, early in the morning, an unidentified drone struck the territory of the military unit No. 45117 in the town of Buturlinovka, Voronezh Oblast; this was followed by another alleged Ukrainian drone attack at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in the village of Kiselyovka, Rostov Oblast; the drone crashed and exploded at the Refinery's inter-shop flyover, which was under construction. The fire was quickly put out and no casualties were reported.[101]
On 10 May, an unidentified drone struck an administrative building in Starodub, Bryansk Oblast; another drone also dropped an explosive device on the Klintsy oil depot (owned by Rosneft) in Bryansk proper on 11 May. The concrete base and oil products storage tank were partially damaged, while no casualties were reported; regional governor Alexander Bogomaz blamed Ukraine for the attacks.[102] On 14 May, an unidentified drone dropped an explosive device on the roof of a military warehouse in Suzemka District of Bryansk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine; there were no casualties, although some of the equipment there was damaged.[103]
On 15 May, a drone allegedly crashed into a border post in Bryansk Oblast in the evening, injuring five border guards. Another attack was also reported in Sudzhansky District of Kursk Oblast; according to Governor Starovoyt, an drone dropped a bomb on a working excavator, inflicting minor injuries on the operator.[104] On 30 May, Moscow was attacked by drones.[105]
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On 30 December 2023, the city of Belgorod was shelled allegedly by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, killing at least 24 people and wounding over 100.
In January 2024, Ukrainian drone strikes began targeting oil and gas terminals in Russia. Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko said that "Russia finances its military from oil exports. You can't persuade countries like India and China to stop buying it. So you knock out Russian oil refineries."[186]
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to itadding to it or making an edit request. (May 2024) |
On 20 August 2022, ultranationalist journalist, political scientist and activist Darya Dugina was killed by a car bombing in Bolshiye Vyazyomy, Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast.[349]
On 2 April 2023, Russian pro-war military blogger 'Vladlen Tatarsky' was assassinated in a bombing in St Petersburg. The bomb, hidden inside a statuette and handed to him as a gift, exploded during an event he was hosting in a café. A Russian woman was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for the attack.[350]
On 6 May 2023, in Pionerskoye village, Bor District, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, an anti-tank mine exploded under an Audi Q7 car, in which the ultranationalist writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin was driving. Prilepin received severe leg injuries, and his bodyguard died on the spot. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Atesh, a militant group of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars.[351][352]
On 11 July 2023, Navy Captain Stanislav Rzhitsky, deputy head of military mobilization efforts in Krasnodar, was shot and killed while jogging. As commander of the submarine Krasnodar based in the Black Sea, he was accused of launching missiles that struck Vinnytsia in July 2022 and killed 23 civilians, although his father claimed he had left active service prior to the invasion in 2021.[353]
On 16 November 2023, Oleksandr Slisarenko, the Russian-installed deputy head of the Kharkov Military-Civilian Administration, was killed in a car bombing reportedly carried out by the SBU in Belgorod.[354]
On 22 May, another cross-border raid took place in Belgorod Oblast; in the Kozinka, Gora-Podol and Grayvoron districts. The Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) claimed responsibility for the attacks. A Ukrainian spokesperson, Andrii Yusov, made the same claim, stating that the attacks were to "liberate" the regions and to provide a buffer zone to protect Ukrainian civilians. Russian authorities attributed the attacks to "a Ukrainian sabotage-reconnaissance group".[358]
On 1 June, the FRL and RVC launched another raid into Belgorod Oblast, this time near the small town of Shebekino.[359]
On 12 March 2024, the FRL and RVC launched raids into Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts, claiming control of Tyotkino and Lozovaya Rudka.[360][361]
 | This section needs to be updated. (August 2024) |
In response to alleged shelling by Ukraine, Russia reportedly began reinforcing its border with Ukraine in November 2022, including building defense lines and fortifications along the border in Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions.[371][372] A state of emergency was also declared in some villages and settlements along the border with Ukraine following repeated shelling attacks.[373]
ISW reported in November 2022 that Russian forces could be preparing a large-scale false flag attack to gather popular support for the invasion, with Kremlin propagandists claiming that Ukraine is "preparing to invade" Belgorod Oblast.[374] A senior Ukrainian officer later said that Russia may attempt to escalate the situation on the border and claim "NATO and Ukrainian aggression". He cited fake news being spread in pro-Russian Telegram channels about "Ukrainian and NATO plans" to "attack peaceful Russian and Belarusian territory".[374]
In May 2023, Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev accused Ukraine's NATO allies of involvement in Ukrainian attacks in Russia, saying "the terrorist attacks committed in Russia are accompanied by an information campaign prepared in advance in Washington and London, designed to destabilise the socio-political situation, and to undermine the constitutional foundations and sovereignty of Russia."[375]
After a Ukrainian HIMARS strike destroyed a convoy of Russian troops in Kursk Oblast in Russia on the night of 8–9 August 2024, Russian milbloggers responded with outrage. Many of them called for the commanders who authorized the movement of the column to be punished.[376] The Ukrainian attack on the convoy was described by Russian milbloggers as one of the bloodiest of the entire war.[377]
Ukrainian officials have rarely commented on the attacks. The Ukrainian military and intelligence services have acknowledged carrying out some of them, or have welcomed attacks without admitting involvement.
In April 2022, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referred to attacks in Russia as "karma" or payback for the Russian invasion. He said that Russian regions where fuel and weapons are stored were learning about "demilitarization", referring to one of Putin's stated goals of the invasion.[378]
Ukraine's military denied taking part in the cross-border raids by the Freedom of Russia Legion and Russian Volunteer Corps. Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence, said that Russian citizens had launched the operations to liberate territories from the "Putin regime", to push Russian government forces away from the border and create a "security zone to protect the Ukrainian civilian population".[379] Some Ukrainian commentators wryly compared them to Russia's past use of proxy forces in Ukraine. Mykhailo Podolyak said "As you know, tanks are sold at any Russian military store", referencing Putin's claim that Russian troops and proxy forces in 2014 were locals who bought their equipment at army surplus stores.[379] Ukrainian social media accounts jokingly called the Belgorod region the "Bilhorod People's Republic", in reference to the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. Another popular joke online referred to Putin announcing "another Special Military Operation to defend Russian-speaking Russians from Russians invading Russia".[380]
In response to Ukraine's 2024 cross-border offensive in Kursk, President Zelenskyy said that "Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done".[381] He said: "Everything that inflicts losses on the Russian army, Russian state, their military-industrial complex, and their economy helps prevent the war from expanding and brings us closer to a just end to this aggression".[382] Zelenskyy maintained that "Russia must be forced to make peace", adding that Ukrainian troops were helping to protect Ukraine by capturing areas from where Russia had launched numerous strikes.[383] Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said that "unlike Russia", Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of its neighbor. Tykhy continued: "The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace ... the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defense forces into Russia will stop".[384][385]
| This section needs expansion with: the UK's recent allowance of using Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia. You can help by adding to itadding to it or making an edit request. (August 2024) |
For more than two years, NATO states that supplied Ukraine with weapons, barred Ukraine from using those weapons to strike inside Russia.[386] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said "We haven't encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine".[387] However, in May 2024, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and several European leaders said Ukraine should be allowed to use Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets inside Russia in self-defense. Stoltenberg said that "if [Ukraine] cannot attack the Russian forces on the other side of the frontline because they are on the other side of the border, then of course you really reduce the ability of the Ukrainian forces to defend".[388] French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine must be able to take out the bases across the border from where Russian missiles are fired, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Ukraine's defense "isn't limited to its territory".[387] Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she did not think it necessary to hit Russian military bases, and urged Western allies to supply Ukraine with more air defenses instead.[389] Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said it is "wrong to increase tension" in an already "dramatic" situation and underlined the need to leave open the possibility of "peace talks in the coming months".[390] Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said it was a "crazy idea because, as we've seen so far, the Russians will fire back".[391]
On 30 May 2024, in response to Russia's 2024 Kharkiv offensive, US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to strike the Russian military inside Russia with US-supplied weapons, but only to defend the Kharkiv region from "Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them".[392] The same permission was given to Ukraine by Germany,[393] France and the United Kingdom.[394] Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said that the Netherlands would not object if Ukraine used Dutch-supplied F-16 fighters to strike military targets inside Russia.[395]
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened retaliation for attacks on Russian territory. He alleged that Western-supplied "long-range precision weapons cannot be used without space-based reconnaissance" and "highly skilled specialists" from NATO countries.[396]
The US Biden administration reportedly told Ukraine to stop attacking oil refineries in Russia, believing it would raise world energy prices and bring more aggressive Russian retaliation. Ukraine's government rejected the request.[397] The US also expressed concern at a Ukrainian drone strike against a Russian nuclear early-warning radar, believing that it could dangerously unsettle the Russian government.[398][needs update]
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