(FreedomBeacon.com)- In a statement last Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry warned that it would ramp up “the scale of missile attacks” in Kyiv in response to what it called Ukraine’s “diversions on the Russian territory.”
On Thursday, Russian officials accused the Ukrainian military of launching airstrikes on the Bryansk region of Russia that borders Ukraine.
Russia’s Investigative Committee claimed two Ukrainian helicopters, “moving at low altitude,” had entered Russian airspace and carried out at least six strikes on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo just 11 kilometers from the Ukraine border.
The Investigative Committee claimed at least six homes were damaged and seven people, including a small child, were injured.
The defense ministry is claiming Russian forces in Ukraine shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter in the Chernihiv region that was allegedly involved in the attack on Klmovo.
That same day, Russia’s state security service the FSB accused Ukrainian forces of firing mortars at a Russian border post in Bryansk. Meanwhile, authorities in the Russian region of Belgorod also reported shelling from Ukrainian forces.
None of these reports have been independently verified.
On Tuesday, Associated Press journalists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv reported that at least four people were killed and another three injured after Russian forces attacked a residential area of the city.
According to the regional governor in Kharkiv, between Monday and Tuesday, five civilians had been killed and another 17 injured in Russian shelling.
This week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a four-day ceasefire in Ukraine starting Thursday to coincide with Orthodox Easter observances. However, Russia’s deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said he was skeptical of the idea.
Meanwhile, Russia’s assault along the eastern front has intensified in recent days, with more troops pouring into Ukraine on Tuesday in what many believe is a potentially pivotal battle in Russia’s attempt to control Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbas region.
If the coordinated offensive is successful, it would likely split the Donbas from Ukraine, giving President Putin a much-needed victory after Russia failed to capture Kyiv after nearly two months of fighting.
