Ukraine-based Russian groups claim raids into Russia

KYIV, Mar 12 (BBC/AP): Three Ukraine-based Russian paramilitary groups say they have crossed into Russia and are now fighting government troops there. The Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and Siberian Battalion (SB) posted videos purportedly showing their fighters in Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions.

An exiled Russian politician claimed one village in the Belgorod region was now controlled by "liberation forces". Russia's defence ministry said the breakthrough attempts were thwarted.

Ukraine's military denied any involvement in Tuesday's cross-border raids. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the country's military intelligence, said the paramilitary groups were "independent organisations" comprising of Russian nationals and therefore operating "at home".

In a separate development, Russia said Ukraine had launched 25 drones on targets across Russia, but the attack was thwarted. However, videos have emerged which appear to show several Russian oil facilities on fire.

In the Ivanovo region, just east of Moscow, an Il-76 military-transport plane with eight crew and seven passengers crashed shortly after take-off, Russia's defence ministry was quoted as saying by Russian state-run news agencies.

Ukraine needs billion dollars to

rebuild scientific infrastructure

Ukraine will need more than a billion dollars to rebuild scientific infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed during two years of Russia's war on its neighbor, the United Nations' cultural and scientific agency said on Monday.

More than 1,443 scientific facilities, many attached to the country's universities, have been damaged or destroyed along with 750 pieces of vital technical equipment, most of which is beyond repair, UNESCO said in a report released Monday.

The war, now in its third year, has also depleted the science sector of funds and dispersed Ukraine's scientists, displacing many within the country and sending others into exile.

The situation around the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants, near the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine's southeast, is of particular concern, the report said. The institute's essential equipment for monitoring the nuclear industry has been stolen or destroyed, representing a safety threat in the region and beyond, the report said.