A spokesman for a Russian-affiliated group near Kiev that launched attacks on Russian soil today told AFP that fighting was still ongoing in two areas, shortly after Moscow said it had repelled several attacks launched from Ukraine.

Alexei Baranovsky, who spoke to AFP by phone around 12:15 Greek time, he stated that fighting continued in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. “The Russian army has lost quite a few armored vehicles,” he said, but declined to specify near which communities the fighting was continuing, citing operational secrecy.

A little earlier, he had told AFP that the results of the operation will be known “in the evening”. He insisted that this attack was planned for this week because of Russian presidential elections on March 15-17, in which Vladimir Putin is expected to be re-elected.

“Today we express ourselves, we express with weapons in hand what we believe about this regime, about the elections”Baranowski said.

The Russian military had earlier said it had repelled multiple attacks which were fired by Ukraine between 02:00 and 07:00 Greek time, noting that it repelled all attackers causing them heavy casualties.

These ground attacks followed multiple drone strikes overnight and this morning against targets in Russia. Two energy plants, including one 800 km from the border, were hit, causing major fires to break out, according to Russian authorities.

At noon (local time), the governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladokov, however, reported “fire” aimed at the border village of Prilesie, speaking of material damage and a hit to a high voltage line. The regional capital Belgorod was targeted by a drone strike, according to the governor who said a business was damaged.