A Ukraine-based Russian paramilitary group has claimed to have destroyed a platoon stronghold of Russian troops in Belgorod. The Freedom of Russia Legion claimed responsibility for the cross-border attack near Russia’s Terebreno village. The paramilitary group said it had left landmines behind in the area after its attack on the Russian troops. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops have scaled-down military operations due to a shortfall of foreign assistance, a senior army general has admitted. Soldiers are also facing a shortage of artillery shells along the “entire frontline”, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi told Reuters. Finland and the US have signed a defence agreement which will give the US military access to 15 military bases, including in areas very close to the Russian border.