Today is election day in Russia, and it is quite obvious who will emerge victorious as the country's next president. However, Ukraine has chosen the eve of election day and into Friday to send a 'message' - while apparently losing a lot of men in the process.
There have been repeat significant cross-border ground and shelling attacks from Ukraine in the past 48 hours. Russia's defense ministry (MoD) announced Friday morning that it "repelled" the latest major attempted incursion in the Belgorod region on the border.
The MoD claimed its forces, including border security services, took out some 50 invaders in the assault. Russian media summarized of the military's statements: "The team was then targeted by Russian artillery and military aviation. The territory through which other Ukrainian troops could reach Kozinka to prop up the advance force was remotely mined."
The statement continued, "The Ukrainians were then forced out of the village, with survivors running into the freshly placed minefield and getting killed, according to the statement. An attempted evacuation was stopped by rocket artillery."
Russian media has further published videos and images which purport to confirm that attempted major cross-border incursion. The same groups from a similar Tuesday raid appear to have been behind the newest attack - mostly made up what have been described as anti-Putin Russian nationals collaborating with Kiev.
President Putin on Friday addressed the string of cross-border attacks, describing there had been "four attacks on the Belgorod region and one attack on the Kursk region by armed Ukrainian proxies numbering about 2,500."
⚔️ Northern Front, Belgorod: The Ukraine-backed Russian opposition continues to shell the city relentlessly. According to enemy reports, over 140 strikes have been recorded since the beginning of the day. pic.twitter.com/Udp3U5IMtf
— Astraia Intel (@astraiaintel)
Putin additionally said the invading militants had 35 tanks and 40 armored vehicles, as cited in Reuters. He estimated that about 60% of the invading force was killed.
But it was fresh drone attack and shelling on Belgorod city Friday that resulted in Russian civilian casualties. Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that during the attack air defenses shot down ten inbound "aerial targets".
"According to preliminary information, one civilian was killed. At the moment of the shelling attack, the man was working at a store," Gladkov stated on Telegram. "Paramedics did their best to save his life, but he died from his injuries at the scene," the governor added.
Somewhat unexpectedly, or perhaps due to the security situation, President Putin is widely reported to have cast his vote online...
‼️ Vladimir #Putin has cast an online vote for the 2024 #Russian Presidential Elections.
— Maimunka News (@MaimunkaNews)
Who do you think he voted for? pic.twitter.com/SzkSa5fmOH
Putin spoke of the civilian death on election day, saying, "I am sure that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to this with even greater solidarity. Who did they decide to intimidate? The Russian people?"
Russia unleashed its own large-scale strikes on the southern Ukraine city of Odesa on Friday. The NY Times describes, "A Russian missile attack on Odesa killed at least 17 people and injured 73 others, Ukrainian authorities said on Friday, the latest in a series of deadly air assaults on the southern Ukrainian port city."
"Ukraine’s state emergency services said a first missile hit several houses late in the morning, prompting rescuers to rush to the scene," the report continues. "A second missile then landed on the same site, causing many fatalities, including at least one paramedic and a rescue worker. The reports could not be independently verified."
Meanwhile, there were various other reports of local election disruptions on Friday...
RUSSIAN ELECTIONS: BALLOT BOXES ON FIRE, VANDALISM, TERRORIST PLOTS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal)
It’s been quite the first day for Russia’s elections - from alleged disappearing ink pens at polling stations to multiple arrests across the country for lighting ballot boxes on fire or dumping into them.… pic.twitter.com/zLfGwW2ZCU