This Saturday, March 23, 2024, The Russian army claimed to have taken control of the Ukrainian village of Ivanivské, near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, reports France 24.
This Russian capture would constitute a new advance in an important area where Russia has been leading an offensive for several weeks.
The Russian ministry said Moscow’s forces have “liberated the village of Krasnoye“, old Russian name for the village of Ivanivské.
Two civilians were killed and seven others were injured in a drone attack and strikes in Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to the regional governor.
“The morning was difficult“, wrote Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram. He said that two districts in his region were attacked by drones; one of the attacks which hit the Cherniansky district killed a civilian and injured two.
This Saturday, a fire broke out in an oil refinery located in the Russian region of Samara (Volga) after a drone attack, the regional governor said.
“Last night, several drone attacks against regional oil refineries were committed“, said Dmitry Azarov, governor of the Samara region, in a statement from the regional government published on Telegram.
One of the attacks caused “a fire in the Kuybyshevsky oil refinery” but caused no casualties, he said.
Suspected attackers of Moscow attack tried to flee to Ukraine: Putin
This Saturday, Russia spoke of connections between Ukraine and the alleged perpetrators of the attack on a concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow, an attack claimed by the Islamic State which left 133 dead according to the latest report. official.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking for the first time about the attack, said the four suspected attackers had tried to flee to Ukraine before being arrested.
“They tried to hide and headed towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary indications, a window was prepared on the Ukrainian side to allow them to cross the state border“, affirmed the leader.
“All the authors, organizers and sponsors of this crime will be justly and inevitably punished. Whoever they are, whoever guides them“, he added.
Vladimir Putin’s assertions join those of the Federal Security Service (FSB) which had earlier indicated that “the four terrorists” had been arrested while trying to reach the border with Ukraine where they had contacts.
As early as Friday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podoliak declared that Kyiv had nothing to do with the attack.
“Ukraine is obviously not involved in this terrorist attack. Ukraine defends its sovereignty against Russian invaders, liberates its own territory and fights against the occupier’s army and its military targets, not against civilians” Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yousov told Reuters this Saturday.
The FSB’s version that the suspects were arrested on their way to Ukraine is “of course another lie of the Russian special services“, he added.
