Residents of Ukrainian towns and villages along the northeast border with Russia are experiencing an increase in shells fired by Russian forces. The attacks intensified suddenly following attacks on several Russian towns by exiled Russian fighters and Russian forces responding in kind. Although officials declined to comment, Ukraine tacitly supports the push for Russian forces to step back from the border to reduce the cross-border shellfire. Two groups, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Free Russia Legion, have claimed responsibility for the attacks across the border as a way to draw attention to their presence and force Russian troops away from the Ukrainian battlefront. While Ukrainian officials say a demilitarized buffer zone along the border would be helpful, Russian military bloggers argue that continued control over border towns would be a more viable solution. Despite viewing the added interest positively, residents of Ukraine are struggling to cope with the continued cross-border hostilities and increasing numbers of troops and armor in their towns.
