The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said that a Ukrainian “sabotage group” entered Russian territory in the Grivoron region bordering Ukraine, and was defeated..
But the Ukrainian website Hromadsky quoted Ukrainian military intelligence as saying that two Russian armed opposition groups, the Russian Freedom Corps and the Russian Volunteer Corps, both composed of Russian citizens, carried out the incursion..
The RIA Novosti news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the attacks and that Russian forces were working to expel “saboteurs”.“.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said on Telegram that the Russian army, border guards, presidential guard and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) were involved in the response to the attacks..
He added that at least six people were injured and three houses and an administrative building were damaged.
Baza, which has links to the Russian security services, said on Telegram that there were indications of fighting in three residential communities along the main road to Russia. The “Open Belgorod” channel on Telegram said that electricity and water were cut off in several villages.
group adopts the process
- A group calling itself the Freedom Corps of Russia, a Ukraine-based Russian militia led by Russian dissident Ilya Ponomarev that says it operates inside Russia to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin, wrote on Twitter that it had “completely liberated” the border town of Kozynka..
- “Go ahead. Russia will be free,” the tweet read!”.
- In a written statement to Reuters, Mykhailo Podolak, Zelensky’s top aide, echoed what Ukraine’s military intelligence said.
- He said, “The violent Russian resistance movement, whose architects are limited to Russian citizens, is gradually emerging from underground. They are independent in their decisions, have a certain experience, and do not know fear.”“.
- Ukrainian social media users have been referring to what they call the “Belgorod People’s Republic”, a reference to events in eastern Ukraine in 2014 when Russian-backed militias claiming to be rebelling against the Kiev government declared “people’s republics” in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukraine.
- The Ukrainian Public Broadcasting Corporation quoted the press office of the Freedom Corps of Russia as saying that the situation on the ground is difficult, but the fighters are still fighting for their cause..
- “The Russian Freedom Corps and the Russian Volunteer Corps are building a demilitarized zone on the border with the Russian Federation from which they will not be able to shoot at Ukraine,” the press office said.“.
The Kremlin: The incursion is linked to the fall of Bakhmut
The Kremlin said the incursion was aimed at diverting attention from the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, which Russian forces say they have fully captured after more than nine months of fighting..
Moscow says the capture of Bakhmut now opens the way for further advances into eastern Ukraine. Ukraine says that its encirclement of Russian forces is more important than its withdrawal from within the city, and Russia will have to weaken its lines elsewhere to send reinforcements to maintain control of Bakhmut..
“By moving on both sides – in the north and south – we succeed in destroying the enemy. By moving along the sides and controlling certain heights there, our Armed Forces have made it very difficult for the enemy to stay in the city itself“.
“We are still advancing, but the volume of movement is declining somewhat. If we talk about the north, there is much less activity. If we talk about the south, we are advancing and the defense of Bakhmut as a city has fully achieved its military objective,” she added.“.
Malyar also said that Ukraine still maintains a foothold within the city itself, but independent observers say any remaining Ukrainian presence there is likely to be small..
Wagner, the Russian Army, and Bakhmut
The Institute for the Study of War, an American-based think tank, said today, Monday, “The Wagner mercenary group most likely captured the western administrative borders of the city of Bakhmut while Ukrainian forces continue to prioritize counter-attacks on the outskirts of Bakhmut.”“.
The Battle of Bakhmut exposed a rift between Russia’s regular armed forces and the private paramilitary Wagner Group, whose chief, Yevgeny Prigogine, broadcasts daily audio and video messages mocking the generals..
In his latest message on Monday, he confirmed his pledge to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut and hand them over to the regular forces.
He said, “If the forces of the Ministry of Defense are not enough, then we have thousands of generals, we will only need to form a battalion of generals, give them all weapons and everything will be fine.”“.
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