Ukraine war: Russia's Shoigu vows 'harsh response' after Belgorod incursion

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has promised a "harsh response" to cross-border incursions from Ukraine.

His comments came aft Moscow said it had defeated an onslaught successful the Belgorod region.

However, determination politician Vyacheslav Gladkov said determination had been a "large number" of drone attacks overnight.

Ukraine denies engagement successful the raid - and 2 Russian paramilitary groups opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin accidental they were down it.

Attackers entered Russian territory from Ukraine connected Monday.

Reporting to defence ministry officials connected the incursion, Mr Shoigu said "more than 70 Ukrainian nationalists" had been killed and the remainder pushed backmost into Ukraine.

"We volition proceed to respond to specified actions by Ukrainian militants promptly and highly harshly," helium said.

Russia besides claims Western subject vehicles were utilized successful the incursion.

It posted pictures of destroyed US vehicles seemingly astatine the country of the warring but immoderate Ukrainian subject experts and bloggers person suggested they could person been staged.

The US said it was sceptical that reports of US-supplied weapons being utilized successful the incursion were existent and did not "encourage oregon alteration strikes wrong of Russia".

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the vehicles were grounds of increasing Western subject engagement successful Ukraine.

"It is nary concealed for america that much and much instrumentality is being delivered to Ukraine's equipped forces. It is nary concealed that this instrumentality is being utilized against our ain military," helium said.

"We are drafting the due conclusions."

Meanwhile attacks successful the portion look to beryllium continuing.

Mr Gladkov said overnight attacks by drones were mostly dealt with by aerial defences, but immoderate harm was caused to cars, backstage houses and administrative buildings successful and astir Belgorod city, arsenic good arsenic successful the borderline territory of Borisovka.

No-one was injured successful the attacks, helium added.

A "small fire" began aft a state pipeline was damaged successful Graivoron district.

Low-level attacks successful Russian borderline regions specified arsenic Belgorod and Bryansk person go predominant successful caller weeks.

Mr Gladkov said that cultivation workers were going retired into the fields wearing helmets and bulletproof vests due to the fact that of the menace of attacks.

Villages successful Belgorod adjacent the borderline were evacuated connected Monday aft coming nether fire.

Monday's raid led Moscow to state a counter-terrorism operation, giving the authorities peculiar powers to clamp down connected communications and people's movements.

The measures were lone lifted the pursuing afternoon, and adjacent then, 1 of the paramilitary groups was claiming it inactive controlled a tiny portion of Russian territory.