Ukraine official: two Russian border regions are now active combat zones

A view of the street from the broken window of the city administration building, which, according to local authorities, was damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, in Belgorod, Russia March 12, 2024. Mayor of Belgorod City Valentin Demidov via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS/ File photo

(Reuters) -A senior Ukrainian intelligence official said on Thursday that armed groups he described as Russians opposed to the Kremlin were pressing an incursion into Russian territory and had turned two border regions into "active combat zones".

But the governor of one of the Russian regions hit by the attacks said, after a visit to villages in an area, that hostile troops were no longer there.