<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Russia said two gunmen from an ex-Soviet state on Saturday attacked a military training ground killing 11 people who had volunteered to fight in Ukraine and wounding 15 others.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Russia's defence ministry said the attack in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, happened during a firearms training session.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russia launched what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine at the end of February. Last month Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a mobilisation of 300,000 Russians who had previously done compulsory military service.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"On October 15, two citizens of a CIS country committed an act of terror at a training range of the Western military district in the Belgorod region," the state news agencies quoted the ministry as saying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"As a result, 11 people were fatally wounded. Another 15 people suffered injuries of varying gravity and were taken to medical facilities."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The two attackers "were killed in retaliatory fire", the ministry added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The CIS, or Commonwealth of Independent States, was formed between republics that were part of the Soviet Union.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than 200,000 people have been conscripted into the Russian armed forces since the announcement of partial mobilisation on September 21.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The draft announcement sparked protests and several attacks on recruitment offices.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>- Fierce fighting -</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile said Saturday that his troops were facing a "most difficult" situation near the eastern town of Bakhmut, which has been under attack from the Russian army for weeks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ukraine is clawing back territory in both the east and south, occupied by Russia for months, but is facing a tough challenge in some areas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"A very severe situation persists in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions" Zelensky said, referring to two regions Russia says its has annexed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The most difficult is near Bakhmut, like in previous days. We are still holding our positions," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russian troops have for weeks been pummelling Bakhmut, a wine-making and salt-mining city that used to be populated by 70,000 people, in the hope of capturing the city.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Zelensky also said that Russia's total losses were now approaching 65,000.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One soldier, just back from the front line, told AFP they had been fighting for four days non-stop.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Out of the 13 guys in my group, we lost two soldiers, and five got evacuated," said the 50-year-old soldier, "Poliak", from the 93rd brigade.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"For days I didn't sleep, didn't eat, didn't drink except coffee," he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">France meanwhile said it would train up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its soil.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said France would also provide Ukraine with Crotale air-defence systems "to allow them to defend their skies".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>- Repeated strikes -</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Saturday's attack in the Belgorod training ground is the latest in a series of incidents to have hit the Russian region.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier Saturday, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, said an oil depot was on fire after having been shelled. He posted a photo showing flames and plumes of black smoke rising above a building.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last week Russia complained of an increase in artillery and missile strikes on its territory bordering Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And on Friday the authorities said that a Ukrainian strike had set fire to a power station in the regional capital, also called Belgorod, causing power cuts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This came a day after a rocket gutted the top floor of an apartment building in the city of Belgorod, without causing injuries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A munition depot in the region was also destroyed on Thursday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier in the week, Russian officials said Ukrainian strikes had knocked out power in the town of Shebekino in the same region. A 74-year-old woman died and several others were wounded in the town. BSS</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>