attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war

Overview

There have been attacks in mainland Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian war since its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The main targets have been the military, the arms industry and the oil industry. Many of the attacks have been drone strikes, firebombing, and rail sabotage. The Ukrainian intelligence services have acknowledged carrying out some of these attacks. Others have been carried out by anti-war activists in Russia. There have also been cross-border shelling, missile strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine, mainly in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts. Several times, Ukrainian-based paramilitaries launched incursions into Russia, captured border villages and battled the Russian military. These were carried out by units made up mainly of Russian emigrants. While Ukraine supported these ground incursions, it denied direct involvement.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Attacks on Russian territory since the February 2022 full-scale invasion have formed a secondary front aimed at degrading Russian military capacity from within its own borders. The primary targets have been military installations, arms industry infrastructure, and oil facilities, struck through drone attacks, firebombing, and rail sabotage. Ukrainian intelligence services acknowledged responsibility for some operations, while others were attributed to Russian anti-war activists. Cross-border shelling, missile strikes, and covert raids have concentrated in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts. On multiple occasions, Ukrainian-based paramilitary units composed largely of Russian emigrants launched ground incursions, temporarily seizing border villages and engaging Russian forces. Ukraine publicly supported these incursions while denying direct involvement, maintaining a degree of deniability over operations conducted on Russian soil.