Three of the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) that entered Russian territory were sent to Ukraine by the US, while the fourth came from Poland, the report said.
The saboteurs were also equipped with rifles made by Belgium and the Czech Republic and at least one AT-3 anti-tank weapon, which is used among the US and Western troops, the newspaper said, citing photos it verified. The report also cited two US mercenaries in Ukraine as saying that BREN and SCAR rifles are "commonly" handed to Ukrainian militants and foreign mercenaries.
A Belgian defense ministry spokesperson declined to specify the number of rifles transferred to Ukraine, while saying that "the weapons supplied have always been handed over to the official authorities and the regular army, which is responsible for them."
On May 22, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that a Ukrainian sabotage group had infiltrated the territory of the Grayvoronsky district of the Russian border region and announced an anti-terrorist operation. The next day, Russia said it had repelled the attack and released footage showing several burned-out armored vehicles belonging to the attackers, as well as US-made Humvees, partially stuck in craters from exploding ammunition.
The US Department of State initially said it was "skeptical" of reports that US-supplied weapons had been used in the recent cross-border attack in the Belgorod Region. US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley later said his staff was working with the European Command (EUCOM) to confirm whether US-supplied military equipment was used in the attack.