Russia is caught between using its military to fight attacks within its own borders and invading Ukraine, UK intel says

• Russia said it contained a raid near the Ukrainian border by deploying advanced weapons.
• The UK MOD said it shows how Russia caught in a "dilemma" about how to use its strength.

Attacks in Russia by dissident fighters who oppose President Vladimir Putin created a new dilemma over whether to use weapons to defend its own soil or in its faltering invasion of Ukraine, according to UK intelligence.

The UK Ministry of Defence said in an update on Friday that recent attacks in the Russian region of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, left Russia's military with hard choices to make.

"Russian commanders now face an acute dilemma of whether to strength defenses in Russia's border regions or reinforce their lines in occupied Ukraine," the MOD said.

Groups who say they are made up of Russians who want Putin out of power and oppose the war in Ukraine have claimed responsibility for a series of recent attacks in Belgorod last.

Russia said action there killed civilians and damaged buildings.

Russia has reported more shelling in the region this week, and said it repelled an attempted incursion on Thursday. No one has taken responsibility yet.

The UK MOD said "partisan groups" attacked the city on Thursday, for the second time in 10 days, though it didn't name any.

It said that "The Russia military and interior forces have likely seen quicker success in containing this raid than the previous one," but noted that they had to deploy heavy firepower to achieve that.

The MOD highlighted the strain on Russia's resources — saying it used "the full range of military firepower on its own territory, including attack helicopters, and the TOS-1A heavy thermobaric rocket launcher."

That shows the decision Russia's military now has about where to use its weaponry.

Russia's equipment struggles in its invasion of Ukraine have been widely documented: Russia has used decades-old tanks and soldiers have described having to buy their own equipment and using some Soviet-era gear.

One of the groups that claimed responsibility for the May attacks in Belgorod, the Liberty of Russia Legion, said on Thursday that it would soon enter Russia again and teased more attacks, saying "We are going to liberate the whole of Russia — from Belgorod to Vladivostok," naming cities in the west and far east of the country.

It is not clear if the recent shelling is connected to the group, or to other anti-Putin Russian groups that say they've been active in the region.

The Russian Volunteer Corps, a group of Russians who oppose the invasion, and that experts say is far-right and neo-Nazi, also said it is fighting in Russia, but has not given details.

The Liberty of Russia Legion says it cooperates with Ukraine's military, though Ukraine denied any involvement with attacks in Russia and said the group is made up entirely of dissident Russians.

The city of Belgorod is also where Russia's own air force accidentally dropped a bomb in April.