Groups of anti-Putin Russian nationals – known as the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) – have claimed responsibility for an attack in Russia’s southwestern region of Belgorod.
Two Russian partisan groups supporting Ukraine claim they carried out attacks inside Russia’s Belgorod region to create a “security strip” to protect Ukrainian civilians and free the people of Russia from the dictatorship of the Putin regime.
The situation in Belgorod marks “the first time” that Ukrainian-aligned forces have launched “a cross-border land operation against Russian targets,” according to CNN’s Sam Kiley.
“This is on a significant scale, and clearly intended to cause considerable consternation among the local authorities at the very least, if not at the level of the Kremlin,” Kiley told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade on Connect the World.
It is worth noting that during the short offensive, tactical success was achieved and partisan groups even captured prisoners and military vehicles.
The Russian partisans captured a BTR-82A infantry fighting vehicle at a destroyed military base in Grayvoron.
Captured Russian BTR-82A, Grayvoron, Belgorod Oblast. pic.twitter.com/0oxoddHpw1
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 22, 2023
The BTR-82A is an advanced variant of the Soviet-designed BTR-80 with improved armour, spall liners, a more modern night vision device TKN-4GA-02, 2A72 30 mm gun (a lighter, less complex cousin of the 2A42), GLONASS navigation system and a more powerful 300 hp engine.
Ukrainian officials acknowledged that the unit crossed into Russia, but insisted that members of the legion were operating independently as “Russian citizens.”
