Moscow says fought off multiple attacks on border regions

(ANSA-AFP) - MOSCOW/KYIV, MAR 12 - Moscow on Tuesday said its army had beaten back Ukrainian forces trying to claim territory in two Russian border regions, deploying warplanes, missiles and artillery to fend off the assaults. The defence ministry said in a statement that Russian forces "thwarted an attempt by the Kyiv regime to make a breakthrough into the border territory of the Russian Federation in the Belgorod and Kursk regions".
    Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine said Tuesday they had launched a cross-border attack on Russian territory and were assaulting a village on the border between the warring countries. Kyiv and Moscow routinely attack each other's border regions with attack drones, but Ukrainian incursions led by Russian citizens are rare. The Freedom of Russia Legion said on social media its forces had "destroyed" a Russian armoured military vehicle in the village of Tyotkino in the Kursk region.
    Another group called the Sibir Battalion said on social media that "As promised, we are bringing freedom and justice to our Russian land." The governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoyt confirmed that the volunteer forces had entered into Russian territory and that there had been fighting within Tyotkino.
    "There was a gun battle, but no breakthrough," Starovoyt wrote on his Telegram channel. (ANSA-AFP).