More Ukrainian units claim raids on Russian soil; Kyiv disavows them

Ukrainian servicemen carry coffins with the bodies of members of the Brotherhood volunteer's battalion, killed during a raid on Russian territory on December 25, according to Russian FSB security services, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, during a memorial ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Yarysh

KYIV - At a memorial service on Tuesday for four Ukrainians killed last year while carrying out a raid on Russian territory, ordinary soldiers rubbed shoulders with volunteer fighters of the Brotherhood Battalion to which those killed belonged.

The ceremony, at the historic gold-domed St. Michael's cathedral in central Kyiv, underlined the unclear relationship between irregular groups and Ukraine's formal armed forces fighting against Russia.