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Over 40 Ukrainian border guards enter Russian territory via Bryansk Region, Crimea — FSB

The FSB press office reported earlier in the day that Ukrainian border guards started abandoning their permanent places of deployment along the Russian-Ukrainian borders

MOSCOW, February 24. /TASS/. Over 40 Ukrainian border guards laid downs weapons and entered the territory of Russia via the country’s Bryansk Region and Crimea, the press office of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Thursday.

"Ukrainian border guards are abandoning their permanent places of duty and arrive on the territory of Russia," the press office announced.

According to the FSB data, 26 servicemen from the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service, who refused to carry on with their duties on the territory of Ukraine, appeared at 11:15 Moscow time at the Troebortnoye checkpoint in Russia’s Bryansk Region.

"At 12:10 Moscow time, 16 more servicemen from the Ukrainian State Border Service, who refused to carry on with their duties on the territory of Ukraine, arrived at the Dzhankoy checkpoint in Crimea," according to FSB’s press office.

The FSB press office reported earlier in the day that Ukrainian border guards started abandoning their permanent places of deployment along the Russian-Ukrainian borders.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported later on Thursday that Russian troops were not delivering strikes against Ukrainian cities. It emphasized that Ukrainian military infrastructure was being destroyed by precision weapons.

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