KYIV — Two Russian navy teams reportedly combating on Kyiv’s aspect of the battle in Ukraine — Legion of Free Russia and Russian Volunteer Corps — stated they entered Russia’s Belgorod area on Monday and overran villages.
“The Legion and the RVC utterly liberated Kozinka village, Belgorod Oblast. Ahead items have entered Graivoron. Shifting on. Russia will likely be free!” the Legion tweeted.
The Russian teams claimed the liberation of at the least two villages — Kozinka, and Gora-Podol — within the area bordering Ukraine.
Native Russian Telegram channels and media reported heavy combating in a number of villages subsequent to the border, together with Graivoron, a city the place a Russian navy base is positioned.
“Ukrainian Armed Forces saboteurs group entered the territory of the Graivoronsk district. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation along with the Border Service, the Russian Guard, and the FSB [intelligence service] are taking the required measures to get rid of the enemy,” Belgorod Governor Viacheslav Gladkov stated in a press release.
He later added on his Telegram channel {that a} “counter-terrorist operation” had been launched by the Russian authorities, together with ID checks and “the suspension of the actions of industries that use ‘explosive, radioactive, chemically and biologically hazardous substances.’”
The Ukrainian Army Intelligence Division claimed that each navy teams consist solely of Russian residents and goal to create a demilitarized zone on the border with Ukraine.
“Sure, right this moment the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Legion of Freedom of Russia, consisting of residents of the Russian Federation, launched an operation to liberate these territories of the Belgorod area from the so-called Putin regime and push again the enemy with a view to create a sure safety zone to guard the Ukrainian civilian inhabitants,” Andriy Yusov, Ukraine’s navy intelligence consultant, advised Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.
Legion of Free Russia on Monday morning printed a video assertion on its Telegram channel, claiming the troopers storming Belgorod are Russians who need to liberate Russia from Putin. “Keep at dwelling, don’t resist, and don’t be afraid: We aren’t your enemies. Not like Putin’s zombies, we don’t contact civilians and don’t use them for our functions. Freedom is close to.”
