03:38Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council on Friday that the Ukrainian authorities are trying to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia.
"In an attempt to disrupt the voting process and intimidate people, the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev has planned and is attempting to carry out a number of criminal, demonstrative armed actions, especially in the regions bordering Ukraine. Their primary target is striking peaceful populated areas on Russian territory," Putin said.
The Russian president specified that since March 12 the AFU had carried out a number of sabotage attacks 'to enter and gain a foothold on our [Russian] territory': four in the Belgorod direction and one in the Kursk direction.
"The enemy deployed over 2.5 thousand personnel, 35 tanks, and about 40 armoured fighting vehicles. However, they were unsuccessful in all directions. The enemy was repulsed and suffered heavy losses, with approximately 60 percent personnel casualties and over 50 percent losses in armoured vehicles," the president said.
Putin added that the aim of such sabotage, in addition to preventing the vote, could be an attempt to 'divert [the Ukrainian people's] attention from the actual state of affairs on the line of contact'.
"I am confident that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to this with even greater unity. Who are they trying to intimidate? The Russian people? The diverse people of Russia? This has never happened, and I am sure it will never be," he concluded.
Attacks in the Belgorod region have become more frequent since March 12. On Tuesday, the mayor of the city, Valentin Demidov, reported that four residents were wounded amid shelling. On Thursday, one person was killed when a shell hit a car and six were hospitalised, while on Friday the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that four more were injured in an air strike.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov also said on Tuesday that the Russian military, together with units of the Federal Security Service's border troops, had foiled an attempt by 'sabotage groups' to break into the Belgorod and Kursk regions
At the time of publication, the Ukrainian side had not commented on the Russian agency's statement.
Russia's presidential election takes place over three days from March 15-17, with early voting between February 25 and March 14.
The four candidates are Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), the Communist Party's Nikolai Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and incumbent President Vladimir Putin, running as an independent candidate.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Kiev 'attempting to carry out a number of criminal armed actions' to disrupt Russian presidential election - Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council on Friday that the Ukrainian authorities are trying to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia.
"In an attempt to disrupt the voting process and intimidate people, the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev has planned and is attempting to carry out a number of criminal, demonstrative armed actions, especially in the regions bordering Ukraine. Their primary target is striking peaceful populated areas on Russian territory," Putin said.
The Russian president specified that since March 12 the AFU had carried out a number of sabotage attacks 'to enter and gain a foothold on our [Russian] territory': four in the Belgorod direction and one in the Kursk direction.
"The enemy deployed over 2.5 thousand personnel, 35 tanks, and about 40 armoured fighting vehicles. However, they were unsuccessful in all directions. The enemy was repulsed and suffered heavy losses, with approximately 60 percent personnel casualties and over 50 percent losses in armoured vehicles," the president said.
Putin added that the aim of such sabotage, in addition to preventing the vote, could be an attempt to 'divert [the Ukrainian people's] attention from the actual state of affairs on the line of contact'.
"I am confident that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to this with even greater unity. Who are they trying to intimidate? The Russian people? The diverse people of Russia? This has never happened, and I am sure it will never be," he concluded.
Attacks in the Belgorod region have become more frequent since March 12. On Tuesday, the mayor of the city, Valentin Demidov, reported that four residents were wounded amid shelling. On Thursday, one person was killed when a shell hit a car and six were hospitalised, while on Friday the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that four more were injured in an air strike.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov also said on Tuesday that the Russian military, together with units of the Federal Security Service's border troops, had foiled an attempt by 'sabotage groups' to break into the Belgorod and Kursk regions
At the time of publication, the Ukrainian side had not commented on the Russian agency's statement.
Russia's presidential election takes place over three days from March 15-17, with early voting between February 25 and March 14.
The four candidates are Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), the Communist Party's Nikolai Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and incumbent President Vladimir Putin, running as an independent candidate.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council on Friday that the Ukrainian authorities are trying to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia.
"In an attempt to disrupt the voting process and intimidate people, the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev has planned and is attempting to carry out a number of criminal, demonstrative armed actions, especially in the regions bordering Ukraine. Their primary target is striking peaceful populated areas on Russian territory," Putin said.
The Russian president specified that since March 12 the AFU had carried out a number of sabotage attacks 'to enter and gain a foothold on our [Russian] territory': four in the Belgorod direction and one in the Kursk direction.
"The enemy deployed over 2.5 thousand personnel, 35 tanks, and about 40 armoured fighting vehicles. However, they were unsuccessful in all directions. The enemy was repulsed and suffered heavy losses, with approximately 60 percent personnel casualties and over 50 percent losses in armoured vehicles," the president said.
Putin added that the aim of such sabotage, in addition to preventing the vote, could be an attempt to 'divert [the Ukrainian people's] attention from the actual state of affairs on the line of contact'.
"I am confident that our people, the people of Russia, will respond to this with even greater unity. Who are they trying to intimidate? The Russian people? The diverse people of Russia? This has never happened, and I am sure it will never be," he concluded.
Attacks in the Belgorod region have become more frequent since March 12. On Tuesday, the mayor of the city, Valentin Demidov, reported that four residents were wounded amid shelling. On Thursday, one person was killed when a shell hit a car and six were hospitalised, while on Friday the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that four more were injured in an air strike.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov also said on Tuesday that the Russian military, together with units of the Federal Security Service's border troops, had foiled an attempt by 'sabotage groups' to break into the Belgorod and Kursk regions
At the time of publication, the Ukrainian side had not commented on the Russian agency's statement.
Russia's presidential election takes place over three days from March 15-17, with early voting between February 25 and March 14.
The four candidates are Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), the Communist Party's Nikolai Kharitonov, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and incumbent President Vladimir Putin, running as an independent candidate.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.