In the Belgorod region, Russian partisans are apparently attacking army facilities. They want nothing less than to overthrow Vladimir Putin.
Munich/Belgorod - What is happening in the far west of Russia, right on the border with Ukraine? According to various reports, Russian partisans attacked the Russian army and state police units this Monday (May 22) in the Belgorod region.
Russia: Partisans apparently attack Russian army in Belgorod region
After the explosions in southwestern Russia, contradictory reports are circulating in Russian, Ukrainian and international media. For example, as reported by the Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda, citing several Telegram channels, the Russian resistance groups "Russian Volunteer Corps" and the "Legion Freedom for Russia" have claimed responsibility for carrying out the attacks in Belgorod.
The partisan groups, which, according to their own statements, want to end Vladimir Putin's regime in Moscow, have also called on the population not to resist, they say. In a public statement of the "Legion Freedom for Russia" it is declared: "We are not your enemies. Unlike Putin's zombies, we do not touch the civilian population and do not use it for our own purposes. Freedom is near!"
+Claim responsibility for the attacks in the Russian Belgorod region: suspected partisans of the "Legion Freedom for Russia".
© Screenshot Twitter@igorsushko
Numerous messages and videos are circulating on Twitter under the hashtag #Belgorod with alleged details of the armed incidents in the border region. For example, it is claimed that in the small town of Graiworon, right on the border, a bridge was blown up and the local police station was captured, which cannot be independently verified.
As the Bild writes, the border posts in the villages of Graiworon and Kozinka were attacked. Videos show, among other things, heavily armed men walking through streets. A video also shows how a combat helicopter, probably from the Russian army, drops low-flying decoys over a residential area. Another video is said to show a burning and crashing helicopter.
Attacks in Belgorod: Terror alert in Russian region after attacks
Moscow and regional administrative units have already commented on the attacks. "As of today, the regime of an anti-terrorist operation has been introduced," the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, wrote on Telegram. The authorities issued a terror alert. For example, public life will be temporarily restricted and identity papers will be more strictly controlled, according to the regional government from the city of the same name Belgorod (around 350,000 inhabitants).
Ukraine war: The origins of the conflict with Russia
Ukraine war: The origins of the conflict with Russia
"In order to ensure the safety of citizens in the Belgorod region, as of today, the legal regime of an anti-terrorist operation has been introduced, which provides for special measures and temporary restrictions. Starting with the verification of people's identity documents and ending with the cessation of the activities of hazardous production facilities and organizations using explosive, radioactive, chemical and biological hazardous substances," Gladkov wrote in his Telegram channel.
Attacks in Belgorod: Kremlin speaks of Ukrainian "sabotage group"
The Kremlin, meanwhile, has reported the intrusion of an alleged Ukrainian "sabotage group" into the Russian border region. The Ministry of Defense, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and the border guards have informed President Vladimir Putin about this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. Work is underway to "expel and eliminate this sabotage group from Russian territory."
This video message by the Russian Freedom Legion was released to coincide with their special operation to cross the border into Russia's Belgorod region. Russian Freedom Legion is comprised of Russian soldiers fighting for Ukraine & for a free Russia.pic.twitter.com/VDK6s6kllp
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) May 22, 2023
Suspected partisans of the "Legion Freedom for Russia" had published a video message on their Telegram channel. One fighter explains: "We want our children to grow up in peace and freedom. That they can travel, study and just be happy in a free country. But this has no place in today's Putin's Russia!" The men, who wear Ukrainian badges, accuse the Kremlin regime of corruption, among other things.
Russia: There was also resistance in the Bryansk region
It is not the first resistance in Russia since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. At the beginning of March, suspected Russian partisans attacked two Russian villages in the Bryansk border region. (pm)
Category list image: © Screenshot Twitter@igorsushko