Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Sunday the strengthening of security at the border to ensure the rapid military and civilian movement of Russians to the Ukrainian regions now under Moscow's control. In a congratulatory message to the border administration, a branch of the Federal Security Service of Russia, on the occasion of Border Guard Day, Putin stated that "their mission is to reliably cover the lines in the vicinity of the combat zone."
In recent weeks, attacks within Russia have intensified, particularly using drones targeting areas along the border as well as increasingly deeper into the country, including an oil pipeline northwest of Moscow yesterday. Putin, in a message published on the Kremlin's Telegram channel, emphasized the necessity of ensuring the swift movement of both military and civilian vehicles and goods, including food, construction materials, and humanitarian aid being sent to the newly incorporated citizens of the Russian Federation.
Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk are the four Ukrainian regions that Putin declared annexed in September, following what Kyiv described as sham referendums. Russian forces only partially control these four regions.
