Tensions rise in Belgorod as Ukraine conflict continues.

Heavily armed soldiers stormed over Ukraine’s north-eastern border with Russia, while Russian media reported explosions inside Belgorod. Ukrainian-backed far-right paramilitary groups claimed responsibility for the operation in Belgorod, alleging that their mission was "still ongoing." The Russian authorities launched a counterterrorism operation in the border region, and some local residents were evacuated from settlements close to the border where the fighting was taking place. The level of strategic military success achieved by the Ukrainian-backed mission in Belgorod is unclear.