Russia will respond to future incursions ‘extremely harshly’: defense ministry

MOSCOW (Agencies): Moscow will respond to attacks on Russian soil “extremely harshly,” Russia’s defense minister warned Wednesday, after Russian jets and artillery fought off an armed group that crossed from Ukraine.

“We will continue to respond promptly and extremely harshly to such actions by Ukrainian militants,” Sergei Shoigu told military officials, according to comments published by the defense ministry.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the use of Western-made military hardware by pro-Ukrainian fighters who conducted a raid on a Russian border region this week was consistent with the West’s growing involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

The Russian military said on Tuesday it had routed militants who attacked the Russian border region of Belgorod with armored vehicles the previous day, killing more than 70 “Ukrainian nationalists” and pushing the remainder back into Ukraine.

Images of some of the destroyed vehicles used by the pro-Ukrainian fighters broadcast on Russian state media showed US-made military hardware such as US-made Humvees.

“It is no secret for us that more and more equipment is being delivered to Ukraine’s armed forces. It is no secret that this equipment is being used against our own military. And it is no secret for us that the direct and indirect involvement of Western countries in this conflict is growing by the day,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We are drawing the appropriate conclusions.”