US cannot confirm own weapons usage in Belgorod despite evidence
The United States claims that it is not sure the weapons it gave Ukraine were used in the sabotage operation in Russia's Belgorod.
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A screengrab from footage published by a Russian media outlet showing 2 destroyed US-Made HMMWVs, colloquially known as Humvees, used to be operated by the Ukrainian forces, in Belgorod, Russia, May 23, 2023 (@ZVEZDANEWS)
The State Department is aware of accusations that US-made weapons were used in the recent cross-border attack on the Belgorod region of Russia, but is suspicious of their authenticity, spokesperson Matthew Miller said Tuesday. He also claimed that the US did not condone strikes within Russia.
After a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance force invaded the Grayvoronsky neighborhood in the Belgorod area on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video showing the process of their elimination. The video depicts a number of burnt-up armored vehicles, as well as US-made Humvees that were partially trapped in explosion-induced craters.
The video also shows torn military outfits lying on the ground, including parts of combat vests, army clothes, and communication devices.
At Grayvoron border crossing in Belgorod region an Ukrainian sabotage group was destroyed ... the Humvees have "For Bakhmut" written on them ... that does look like the typical slogan Russian Separatists like ... pic.twitter.com/LxmbaPlrXg
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) May 23, 2023
"We've seen some of the reports circulating on social media and elsewhere making claims that US-supplied weapons were used in these attacks. I will say that we're skeptical at this time of the veracity of these reports," Miller told a briefing.
Ukrainian saboteurs invaded Belgorod, Russia in US supplied armored vehicles. 39 Ukrainians are now liquidated. pic.twitter.com/d80QfcsmwY
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) May 22, 2023
"As a more general principle, as we've said, and I believe I said yesterday, we do not encourage or enable strikes inside of Russia, and we've made that clear. But as we've also said it is up to Ukraine to decide how to conduct this war," the spokesperson added.
Miller also claimed that the United States did not know who was behind the attack on the region.
Video 1: “The column of US armored vehicles that attacked the Belgorod region”
— Sarah 🇺🇸 (@LoveOurTrump) May 23, 2023
Video 2: American Maxx Pro, later captured by Russia. pic.twitter.com/wbYeq57rZn
Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder similarly said the Pentagon could not confirm the authenticity of images showing US military equipment was allegedly used by paramilitary groups that recently carried out attacks in Belgorod.
Data posted on a US-owned company's website Maxar on Tuesday revealed that a US satellite carried out a survey of the area where a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group recently infiltrated Russia’s southern Belgorod region.
According to the information on the website, the company's satellite took photos of the village of Kozinka on May 20.
The area was surveyed several times, including on May 2, and May 17, as well as in February and March.
Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Monday a Ukrainian sabotage group had infiltrated the territory of the Grayvoronsky district of the Russian border region and announced an anti-terrorist operation.
The attack caused several injuries among civilians and killed one.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the Ukrainian nationalist formations that infiltrated the Belgorod region had been blocked and defeated.
More than 70 Ukrainian militants, four armored fighting vehicles, and five pickups were destroyed in the counter-terrorist operation, Moscow revealed.
The rest were driven back to the territory of Ukraine, where they continued to be hit by fire until they were completely eliminated.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the Russian Defense Ministry, the Federal Security Service (FSB), and the Border Guard Service briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukrainian saboteurs’ infiltration into the Belgorod Region.
