Situation in Russia’s Belgorod Region ‘Difficult’, at Least One Killed, Government Says 

A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
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Situation in Russia’s Belgorod Region ‘Difficult’, at Least One Killed, Government Says 

A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)

The situation in Russia's Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine remains difficult, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Wednesday, a day after Moscow said its forces had thwarted attempts by Kyiv's troops to push across the border.

"The situation in Krasnoyaruzhsky district remains difficult," Gladkov, the head of the southwestern region, said in a video posted on Telegram.

At least one soldier was killed in shelling in the Krasnoyaruzhsky district, the Belgorod regional government said.

"As a result of the shelling, a soldier of the 'Orlan' unit was killed and four other people were wounded," the government said via its channel in Telegram, adding that there are casualties in other parts of the region.

Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Residents of Krasnoyaruzhsky district wrote in local chats on social media that entry to its territory had been restricted by the authorities.

This was confirmed by the head of the district, Vitaly Kutomanov, who said that the temporary measures were taken "for security reasons".

Reuters was unable to ascertain whether the restrictions had been lifted.

Belgorod region has come under frequent drone and shelling attacks from Ukraine in the course of the three-year war.

Russia's Defense Ministry, in a statement reported by Russian news agencies, said on Tuesday that Russian forces had thwarted five Ukrainian attempts to push across the border into Belgorod.



Fighter Jets, Refueling Aircraft, Frigate: UK Assets in Mideast

A Eurofighter Typhoon at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK. JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
A Eurofighter Typhoon at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK. JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
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Fighter Jets, Refueling Aircraft, Frigate: UK Assets in Mideast

A Eurofighter Typhoon at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK. JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
A Eurofighter Typhoon at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK. JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP

Britain is deploying extra fighter jets and other assets to the Middle East amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said.

Below, AFP takes a look at the UK's military presence in the region.

'Contingency support'

Starmer told reporters travelling with him on his plane to Canada for G7 talks on Saturday that Britain was "moving assets to the region, including jets... for contingency support".

The jets are Eurofighter Typhoon planes, according to Britain's defense ministry.

Additional refueling aircraft have also been deployed from UK bases, according to Downing Street.

Royal Air Force fighter planes are already in the region as part of Operation Shader, the codename given to Britain's contribution to the international campaign against the ISIS group.

RAF Typhoon jets aided Israel in April 2024 when they shot down an unspecified number of drones fired by Iran, as confirmed by the UK's then-prime minister, Rishi Sunak.

Starmer, Sunak's successor, refused to speculate whether the UK would become directly involved this time in the conflict between the arch foes, which entered their fourth day on Monday.

Iran threatened to target American, British and French bases if Western countries intervened to stop Iranian strikes on Israel.

Tehran also urged London, Paris and Berlin to pressure Israel to stop its deadly attacks on Iran.