War Has Entered Russian Territory, Residents Say 'Ukrainian Nationalists' Attacking Bryansk Region

The war in Ukraine has now expanded and spilled over Russian territory as residents living near the border report attacks by so-called Ukrainian nationalists, according to a report.

Several residents living in the town of Zapesochie in the Russian border region of Bryansk said a border guard was killed last week by a mine. It is unclear who planted the mine, but locals said the incident happened after Gov. Alexander Bogomaz claimed to have fended off an unsuccessful attack by "Ukrainian nationalists."

"The authorities of the Bryansk region kept silent about the fact that on April 6, during an attack on the border village of Zapesochye, one border guard was killed and two were injured. On that day, the governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, reported that the Ukrainian nationalists fired at Zapesochie," the independent outlet Vertska reported Wednesday, citing interviews with several residents, as translated via Google Translate.

The outlet added that the residents are now complaining, saying they feel like targets. Some also complained about not having any bomb shelters to hide in should Ukraine launch more attacks against the border town.

"I am speaking now on behalf of all the inhabitants of the villages: why did we decide to hold a gathering? Because this is a cry from the soul. We are scared and don't know what to do. We do not have a single checkpoint, there are no warnings of shelling. We don't have bomb shelters, and our basements aren't meant to hide in. ... The governor says that everything is fine and wonderful here," Zapesochie resident Anna Astapova told the publication.

"We support and respect the army and President Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin]. But what's happening now is total disarray," Astapova added.

The attack occurred more than a month after Russia's FSB claimed that "Ukrainian nationalists" had been pushed back after launching a "terrorist attack" in the Bryansk region. Moscow said the attack killed one person and wounded a child, per Aljazeera.

In response to last month's incident, Mykhailo Podolyak, senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accused Russia of staging the fake "deliberate provocation" and warned that the "partisan" movement in the country is "getting stronger."