ISTANBUL

Russia on Tuesday summoned Belgium’s ambassador to Moscow over claims of the use of Belgian weapons by "sabotage groups" in the country’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.

On June 6, Belgian Ambassador to Moscow M. Michielsen was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the use of Belgian-made weapons by sabotage groups that carried out terrorist attacks on the Belgorod region on May 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

A statement released by the ministry said that the ambassador was informed of Russia’s repeated warnings about “the danger of pumping the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Western weapons and equipment,” in addition to them falling into the hands of “terrorist groups.”

“They called on Brussels not to turn a blind eye to the growing evidence of support by the Kyiv regime to terrorists, whose target is the civilian population and civilian infrastructure in the Russian Federation,” the statement concluded.

The Washington Post published photos over the weekend showing members of anti-Russian President Vladimir Putin groups – the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR) – using Belgian and other Western weapons during an attack on Russian soldiers in Belgorod, Russia.

On Monday, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo objected to the use of the arms given to Ukraine in attacks against Russia during an interview with a local newspaper, saying that he has asked the country’s intelligence services to determine whether Belgian weapons have been used on Russian soil.

Ukraine’s armed forces have allegedly unleashed a series of attacks on Russia's border regions in recent months, notably Bryansk and Belgorod, which were hit with drones and artillery and were raided by paramilitary groups.