LONDON, May 25. /TASS/. Ukraine’s strikes on Russian soil risk a catastrophic escalation, British writer, historian and journalist Owen Matthews wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

"If Zelensky did approve the Belgorod raids - which he and the Kiev government have denied - he’s playing a desperately dangerous game. Attacks inside Russia proper are a legitimate ‘casus belli,’ according to Moscow’s nuclear doctrine. And top NATO commanders, according to a source of mine, are still seriously concerned about the use of tactical nukes by the Kremlin," he pointed out.

"Pushing back Russia from Ukrainian territory is right and just. But invading the world’s largest nuclear armed power risks a catastrophic escalation and strengthening, rather than weakening, Putin’s flagging war machine," the columnist added. According to him, "the raid could also have been an own goal" as it will boost support for the special military operation among the Russian people.

On May 22, a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group infiltrated Russia’s Belgorod Region. According to the latest data, one civilian was killed and 13 suffered wounds, while an elderly woman died during evacuation. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on May 23 that the saboteurs had been smashed; the remaining members of the group were driven from Russia’s territory and eliminated. According to the ministry, Ukraine lost four armored combat vehicles and five pickup cars, and over 70 saboteurs were killed.