The Kremlin claims that the Ukrainian army is trying to enter Russia through Belgorod.

BarcelonaThe same day that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed the future of Ukraine by phone.Russia has reported an attempted incursion by the Ukrainian army into the Russian region of Belgorod. Russian authorities and Telegram channels specializing in military matters have claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky's forces launched offensive operations on the border, although Kiev denies this and says Moscow fabricated the incident precisely to further influence the United States' position in the peace negotiations.

The governor of the province, Vyacheslav Gladkov, explained in a video released on social media on Tuesday morning that Ukrainian forces were "intensively" attacking the Russian border in the Belgorod region, specifically in the Krasnoyaruzhsky district. "Unfortunately, the situation in the Belgorod region is still difficult," he admitted, according to the state news agency Tass. And he added that "all agencies—including the Ministry of Defense—are doing their job, ensuring the safety of local residents."

The governor said that several municipalities in this district were suffering from artillery attacks. Gladkov also reported that a bus had hit an explosive device on a road, injuring three people. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported early Tuesday that air defenses had destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly in the Belgorod region. It waited until evening to comment on the alleged ground operation: "Kyiv has attempted to penetrate units into the Belgorod region to create a negative background around the negotiations between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States."

Several Russian Telegram channels have reported on the Ukrainian ground attack, and some have claimed that the evacuation of several towns was ordered Tuesday night, although there is no official information. According to the Spring War Correspondents channel, Volodymyr Zelensky's troops had begun moving equipment and personnel toward the Belgorod and Kursk border overnight and in the morning began mine-clearing operations in the Prilesye, Grafovka, and Demidovka areas. "Then, several tanks and infantry in all-terrain vehicles were sent to attack the Prilesye and Grafovka area," the publication added, according to the independent Russian media outlet Meduza. However, it is unclear whether the incursion was successful or not. Some Russian bloggers claim that Ukrainian soldiers were unable to break through the Russian defense lines.

Ukraine calls this disinformation.

But Kiev denies it. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said it was disinformation designed to prepare the ground for the phone call between Trump and Putin. “Their main information strategy is to accuse Ukraine of not wanting to end the war, although, in fact, [Russian forces] are attacking the front lines, including from the air, and it is Putin who is delaying Trump’s ceasefire proposal. It’s all very primitive, but very typical of the Russians,” he said in a post.

According to Kovalenko, fighting in the border area has been going on almost constantly throughout the entire large-scale war. Several Russian paramilitary groups supporting Ukraine have tried several times to break into the Belgorod region. The first time was in May 2023, when the Russian Freedom Legion did soAnd in March of last year, battalions of former Russian military personnel opposed to Putin They launched an offensive on Belgorod and Kursk. However, these two incursions were punctual and did not have major consequences, unlike the incursion of the Ukrainian army in Kursk last summer, now clearly in retreat.

Last Thursday, coinciding with the meeting in Moscow between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's envoy to negotiate a ceasefireThe Kremlin announced that it will soon recapture the entire territory occupied by Ukraine in Kursk. The Russian president made it clear that "depending on how the situation develops on the ground," the next steps will be agreed upon.