On 18 March 2025, at around 5:50 AM

Moscow time Moscow Time (MSK; ) is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia, and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second-westernmost of the eleven time zones of Russia, after the non-continguous Kaliningrad enclave. It h ...

, during the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

, the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

launched a cross-border incursion into

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, invading

Belgorod Oblast Belgorod Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Belgorod. , the population is 1,540,486. History During the Princely ...

and clashing with the

Russian military The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces—two independent comba ...

. Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

confirmed for the first time on 7 April 2025 that Ukrainian troops were in Belgorod Oblast.

Timeline

March

On 18 March 2025, the

Russian Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Commander-in-Chief of the forces and directs the activity of the ministry. The Minister of Defence exerci ...

claimed that five attacks were carried out by the

Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

during the day. The governor of Belgorod Oblast,

Vyacheslav Gladkov Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Gladkov (; born 15 January 1969) is a Russian politician serving as the governor of Belgorod Oblast since 27 September 2021. He served as the acting governor from 18 November 2020 before his election. He is a member of t ...

, said that the

Krasnoyaruzhsky District Krasnoyaruzhsky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Belgorod Oblast, Russia.Law #248 Municipally, it is incorporated as Krasnoyaruzhsky Municipal District.Law #159 It is located in the west of the oblast, o ...

had been repeatedly shelled in the preceding 24 hours and attacked by 49 Ukrainian drones, 12 of which were intercepted. The

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

milblogger "Zapiski Vеterana" stated that after the defeat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region and the Russian recapture of

Sudzha Sudzha (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Sudzhansky District in Kursk Oblast, Russia, located on the Sudzha and Oleshnya rivers southwest of Kursk, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a population of 5,127 people. ...

, the Ukrainian leadership decided to continue active military operations on the Russian-Ukrainian border "in order to tie down Russian combat-ready units in this section of the front". The Russian MOD claimed on this day the Russians inflicted 60 casualties, as well as knocking out one tank, seven other types of armored vehicles, three combat engineer vehicles, and one light vehicle. Many Russian milbloggers claimed on the morning of March 19 that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks toward Demidovka,

Grafovka Grafovka () is a rural locality (a settlement) and the administrative center of Grafovskoye Rural Settlement, Krasnoyaruzhsky District, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. The population was 624 as of 2010. There are 12 streets. Geography Grafovka is loc ...

, and

Prilesye Prilesye () is a rural locality (a settlement) in Krasnoyaruzhsky District, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. The population was 128 as of 2010. There are 4 streets. Geography Prilesye is located 24 km northwest of Krasnaya Yaruga (the district's admini ...

. A Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces maintain positions in forest areas along the

Sumy Sumy (, , ) is a city in northeastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel (river), Psel River and has a population of making it the 23rd-largest in the country. The city ...

-Belgorod Oblast border, and a Russian insider source claimed that Ukrainian forces advanced near Grafovka later in the day. Additionally, on 20 March, the

General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine () is the military staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed forces under the Ministry of De ...

reported that a Russian command post near Demidovka was destroyed. The governor of

, stated that "the situation in

Krasnoyaruzhsky Krasnoyaruzhsky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Belgorod Oblast, Russia.Law #248 Municipally, it is incorporated as Krasnoyaruzhsky Municipal District.Law #159 It is located in the west of the oblast, o ...

district remains difficult," noting that the shelling in that district resulted in one soldier killed and four wounded. Russia's defence ministry claimed that the attack was repelled, as it did during the start of the

Kursk offensive The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the ...

launched by Ukraine. Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, denied this claim. The Russian response to the incursion involved a set of coordinated strikes, including 30

air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

and missile strikes, 13 strikes carried out by combat helicopters, one launch from an

Iskander The 9K720 Iskander (; NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a Russian mobile short-range ballistic missile system. It has a range of . It was intended to replace the OTR-21 Tochka in the Russian military by 2020. The Iskander has several differ ...

short-range ballistic missile system, a single strike using a Tornado-S multiple-launch rocket system, and two assaults employing the

TOS-1A TOS-1 Buratino (, Heavy Flamethrower System) is a Soviet 220 mm 30-barrel (original system, Object 634 or TOS-1M) or 24-barrel (Object 634B or TOS-1A Solntsepyok) multiple rocket launcher capable of using thermobaric warheads, mounted on a ...

heavy flamethrower system. This response targeted Ukrainian forces positioned approximately five to six miles from the border in the

Sumy region Sumy Oblast (), also known as Sumshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in northeast Ukraine. The oblast was created in its modern-day form, from the merging of raions from Kharkiv Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, and Poltava Oblast in 1939 by the Presidi ...

of Ukraine. The Russian MOD claimed that the Russians inflicted roughly 150 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy tanks in its area of responsibility in the Belgorod direction on March 20. On 21 March, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, stated that one civilian was killed and two were wounded, with one hospitalized in serious condition, following a Ukrainian

drone strike Drone warfare is a form of warfare using Military drone, military drones or Military robot, military robots. The robots may be Telerobotics, remote controlled or have varying levels of Autonomous robot, autonomy during their mission. Types of ro ...

on the village of in the

Rakityansky District Rakityansky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Belgorod Oblast, Russia.Law #248 As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Rakityansky Municipal District.Law #159 It is located in the west of the oblas ...

. Ukraine's General Staff has reported that the Ukrainian Air Force struck a command post of a Russian border guard outpost in the settlement of Glotovo. The Russian MOD claimed that two drones were shot down by its

air defence Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

systems over Belgorod and

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

. The

Institute for the Study of War The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis of modern arm ...

assessed that Ukrainian forces advanced during the day southwest of Demidovka. According to some Russian milbloggers, Ukrainian forces are consolidating positions on the outskirts of Demidovka and

, while Ukrainian infantry are attacking near Demidovka,

, and Prilesye. By 22 March, the Ukrainian Armed Forces retained their positions near

and south of Demidovka. The Russian MOD claimed that the

lost up to 95 servicemen, one tank, two armored combat vehicles, 14 cars, and six artillery pieces on 22 March. On 23 March, Russian military blogger Yuri Podolyaka said that "the Russian army knocked out the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the settlement of Demidovka, Belgorod region", although the next day, geolocated footage indicated that Ukrainian forces had advanced into central Demidovka. On 31 March, geolocated footage showed that the Russian forces also advanced in central Demidovka.

April

On 7 April, Ukrainian president

said for the first time that Ukrainian troops were operating in Belgorod Oblast. On 22 April, Russian troops advanced in south-western Demidovka and recaptured Popovka by 26 April.

Reactions

Russia

The

claimed that the attack was launched "to discredit the peace initiatives of U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

Order of battle

Ukraine

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

***

*** 17th NGU Brigade *** "Tac Team" UAS unit ** **

Ukrainian Air Assault Forces The Air Assault Forces of Ukraine ( AAFU; , , ), known until 2017 as the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces, are the airborne forces of Ukraine. After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, several Ukraine-based units from the Soviet Airborne Forc ...

***

80th Air Assault Brigade The 80th Separate Galician Air Assault Brigade is an Ukrainian Airmobile Forces, airmobile formation of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. The brigade traces its history back to the 80th Airborne Regiment of the Soviet Union, formed in 1955 as p ...

***

82nd Air Assault Brigade The 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade (; 82 ОДШБр; A2582) is a unit of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. The brigade is located in Chernivtsi. History The brigade's creation was announced as part of an expansion of the Armed Forces of Ukr ...

***

95th Air Assault Brigade The 95th Separate Polesian Air Assault Brigade is a unit of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces. The brigade is located in Zhytomyr. It is considered one of the most prestigious and capable units in the Ukrainian military. The brigade is one of Ukra ...

Ukrainian Marine Corps The Ukrainian Marine Corps (, ), also known simply as the Ukrainian Marines (), is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2023, responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations. From ...

*** 30th Amphibious Corps **** 414th Marine Strike UAV Battalion

414th Strike UAV Brigade The 414th Strike UAV Brigade (414 OPUBAS) () is a unit of the Ukrainian Marine Corps, formed on January 16, 2024 on the basis of the company-tactical group "Birds of Magyar", which was under the command of Robert Brovdi ("Magyar") as part of the ...

Territorial Defence Forces *** 101st Territorial Defense Brigade *** 106th Territorial Defense Brigade

Russia

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

***

18th Combined Arms Army The 18th Combined Arms Army (18th CAA) is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces. History Formed in Russian Crimea in August 2023 as part of the Southern Military District, Oleg Marzoev, an officer in the 58th Guards Combined Arms Army, repor ...

****

Great emblem of the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army

20th Army Corps ***** Sleeve patch of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division

3rd Motor Rifle Division The 3rd Vislenskaya Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov Motor Rifle Division (), is a motorized infantry division of the Russian Ground Forces. The 3rd Motor Rifle Division was formed in 1997 from the amalgamation of the 31st and 47th ...

***

44th Army Corps **** 128th Motorized Rifle Brigade *** Great emblem of the 49th Combined Arms Army

49th Combined Arms Army The 49th Combined Arms Army () is a combined arms ( field) army (CAA) of the Russian Ground Forces, formed in 2010 and headquartered in Stavropol. Military Unit в/ч 35181. Part of the Southern Military District, the army traces its heritage ba ...

****

Sleeve patch of the 34th Mountain Motorized Rifle Brigade

34th Guards Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade *** Sleeve patch of the 11th Army Corps

11th Army Corps **** Sleeve patch of the 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division

18th Guards Motor Rifle Division The 18th Guards Insterburg Red Banner Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Division (), is an active division of the Russian Ground Forces. History The 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division was formed originally as the 133rd Rifle Division at Novosibirs ...

***** 9th Motorised Rifle Regiment ****** 1st Battalion *** Great emblem of the 6th Combined Arms Army

Elements of the

6th Combined Arms Army The 6th Red Banner Combined Arms Army () is a field army of the Red Army and the Soviet Army that was active with the Russian Ground Forces until 1998 and has been active since 2010 as the 6th Combined Arms Army (в/ч 31807). It was first form ...

***

Great emblem of the 3rd Guards Combined Arms Army

3rd Guards Combined Arms Army **** 85th motorized rifle brigade **** Sleeve patch of the 88th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade

88th motorized rifle brigade ** Orlan Detachment **

Russian Aerospace Forces The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces (VKS) comprise the air force, aerial, space force, space warfare, and Missile defense, missile defence Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It was ...

*** **** ***** "Irlandtsy" detachment **

Russian Airborne Forces The Russian Airborne Forces () is the airborne separate combat arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It is a rapid response force and strategic reserve that is under the President of Russia, reporting directly to the Chief of the General Staff, and ...

***

Great emblem of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division

76th Guards Air Assault Division The 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Order of Suvorov Air Assault Division (; MUN 07264) is a division of the Russian Airborne Forces based in Pskov. The division traces its lineage back to the 76th Guards Rifle Division, formed in March 1943 f ...

****

Sleeve patch of the 234th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment

234th Guards Air Assault Regiment The 234th Guards Air Assault Regiment is a formation of the Russian Airborne Forces. It is part of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division. History The regiment was formed on 7 June 1946 in Novgorod as the 234th Guards Air-Landing Regiment of the ...

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

***

Pacific Fleet **** Sleeve patch of the 40th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

40th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade **** Sleeve patch of the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade

155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade ***** "Kara" detachment *** Great emblem of the Caspian Flotilla

Caspian Flotilla The Caspian Flotilla () is the flotilla of the Russian Navy in the Caspian Sea. Established in November 1722 by the order of Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Caspian Flotilla is the oldest flotilla in the Russian ...

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Sleeve patch of the 177th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Regiment

* Volunteer Corps ** "Hateful Eight" UAV unit *

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation �СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...

FSB Border Service of Russia The Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation ( BS of the FSB of the RF, ) is a branch of the Federal Security Service of Russia tasked with patrol of the Russian border. The terms Border Service of Russia () and ...

National Guard of Russia The Federal Service of Troops of National Guard of the Russian Federation (), officially known as the (),#Official website, Official website is a federal executive body which is responsible for law enforcement, internal security, counter-terro ...

Kadyrovites Kadyrovites or Kadyrovtsy () or Akhmat (Russian: Ахмат) is an informal term of Chechnya-based detachments of National Guard of Russia ("Rosguard"), Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Russian Ministry of Defence. The name refers to ...

*** "Aida"

Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...

Detachment ** BARS *** BARS-Belgorod *** BARS-25 "Anvar" volunteer unit

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belgorod incursion, 2025 March 2025 in Russia Attacks in Russia in 2025 Military operations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2025 Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine Cross-border operations into Russia 2025 incursion April 2025 in Russia May 2025 in Russia

Timeline

March

April

Reactions

Russia

Order of battle

Ukraine

Russia

See also

Notes

References