Mi-8 deployed
The Russian Defense Ministry clarified details about an attempt by a Ukrainian DRG to enter Russian territory on March 14. According to the ministry, a group of saboteurs, including foreign mercenaries, landed about one kilometer from the border from two Mi-8 helicopters around 16:30. The unit reportedly consisted of roughly 30 personnel in total.
After landing, the group moved covertly toward the border village of Kozinka, where Ukrainian forces reportedly held several houses on the village outskirts.
The saboteurs were detected while attempting to advance deeper into the settlement. They were halted by Russian Armed Forces units and FSB border guards. The Russian military then opened artillery fire on Ukrainian fighters, with air strikes using guided munitions also employed. The area was remotely mined to prevent saboteurs from taking cover inside buildings and retreating from Ukrainian territory.
It was stated that Ukrainian militants, having sustained significant losses, began retreating back toward Ukrainian land, according to the Defense Ministry.
Subsequently, the saboteurs attempted to enter one of the houses on Cumhuriyet Street but were stopped.
The retreating Ukrainian forces reportedly entered a minefield, where they were eliminated. The Tornado multiple launch rocket system was also used to disrupt a group attempting to evacuate wounded personnel.
The military department indicated that Ukrainian losses reached about 50 personnel.
He threw a grenade and returned home
One moment of the clash was captured by footage from a reconnaissance drone, later shared by military correspondent Evgeny Poddubny on his Telegram channel.
The clip shows a Russian soldier approaching a trench where Ukrainian saboteurs were hiding and then throwing a grenade before rapidly retreating.
According to Poddubny, the explosion killed and wounded several Ukrainian soldiers, and the action by the Russian fighter helped to dismantle the Ukrainian group. Some accounts suggested that a Russian serviceman with a grenade launcher fired and then escaped the fire, though Poddubny noted that the exact sequence of actions was less critical than the overall outcome for the operation.
“Kozinka understood the situation very badly”
After the operation, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod region, visited Kozinka. He stated that no Ukrainian soldiers remained in the region, and that ongoing clashes occurred beyond the borders.
He added that Kozinka had suffered heavy damage and losses, with destruction noted across the village. Local residents were evacuated to safe locations, aided by regional volunteers and a priest. If evacuees chose, they could be housed in a temporary shelter facility or be sent to relatives.
The regional head indicated that damage assessments would begin on March 15, and that, if the situation permitted, repair work would commence shortly after.