Russia says dozens of Ukrainian fighters have raided one of its border towns in Russia’s Belgorod region, attacking targets and forcing evacuations. More than 70 of those guerrillas were killed or forced to retreat before what the authorities called a counter-terrorism operation. But Ukraine has another version.
Kiev denied any involvement in Monday and Tuesday’s fighting, instead accusing two Russian groups it claims are volunteers fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in an uprising against President Vladimir Putin’s government.
While neither story can be independently verified, whatever happened appears to have put Moscow in an urgent position to answer. one of the worst border raids since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said an elderly woman was killed during the chaotic evacuation and 12 people were injured in the attacks. As the fighting apparently continued on Tuesday, he called on residents not to return to their homes, and only later in the afternoon did he declare the operation over.
Here’s a look at what is known about the attack and the underground groups claiming responsibility:
Who claimed responsibility for the attacks?
Two groups – the Russian Freedom Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps – claimed responsibility for the attacks and announced the ambitious goal of “liberating” the Belgorod region. Little is known about them other than what they say about themselves, and it is not known what they are like.
The Russian Freedom Legion website says the group was created last spring “out of the desire of Russians to fight Putin’s armed gang” and which has “official recognition” by the Kyiv Armed Forces.
“We are all fighting with the full cooperation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and under the command of the Ukrainian command,” the website reads.
The portal notes that in the middle of last year he participated in “small battle groups” and is now involved in the battle for the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
the channel of Russian Volunteer Corps on Telegram it indicated that it was a formation within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It currently describes itself as a group fighting for the Ukrainian side.
“We, Russian volunteers living in Ukraine, have decided to take up arms and create a military formation, the Russian Volunteer Corps, with the aim of joining our fellow Ukrainians in defending the homeland that has welcomed us, and then we will continue to fight against Putin’s criminal regime and its henchmen,” said an ad posted on that app in August 2022.
Other publications assure that the group was fighting in southeast Ukraine or volunteers were participating in other parts of the country, such as Bucha and Irpin, suburbs of Kiev.
The Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility for an incursion into Russia’s Bryansk region, another border area, in March. Press reports at the time identified some of its members as Russian nationalists.
In a post on Tuesday, the Russian Volunteer Corps described its political stance as “conservative and right-wing traditionalist”.
What does Ukraine say?
Ukrainian officials have never confirmed any links to either group. The Kiev government has denied involvement in this week’s incident in Belgorod, which they described as an act perpetrated by disaffected Russians.
When they touched on the subject, it was superficial. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said those responsible were “patriots of Russia” and “people who actually rebelled against Putin’s regime”. Blamed presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak “clandestine guerrilla groups” which are “made up of Russian citizens”.
Speaking to Suspilne news, Ukrainian intelligence official Andrii Yusov said the incident was the work of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Russian Freedom Legion.
Andrii Cherniak, another intelligence representative, stressed the fact that both groups claimed responsibility for the incident. “This is a consequence of the aggressive policies of the Putin regime and the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” he said Associated press.
What does Russia say?
Russia claims it was a raid of saboteurs sent from Kiev, while state officials and the media use various adjectives ranging from “fighters” to “terrorists”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the attack on Belgorod was a distraction to “detract attention” from Russia’s victory in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which Russia said it captured over the weekend, a week after months of bloody fighting.
When asked on Tuesday about allegations that the invaders were ethnic Russians, Peskov insisted that “they were Ukrainian fighters from Ukraine”.
“There are a lot of ethnic Russians in Ukraine, but these are still Ukrainian fighters,” Peskov added.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov noted that more than 70 “Ukrainian terrorists” were killed during the Russian operation, calling the attackers “nationalists”.
Russian state television reported that the invaders belonged to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. One report said the attackers used US military equipment despite assurances from Washington that their weapons would not be used in attacks on Russian soil.
Who tells the truth?
It’s hard to know. Analysts and journalists say it is possible both Russia and Ukraine are taking advantage of their own versions of what happened.
The British Defense Ministry tweeted on Tuesday that “Russia will almost certainly use these incidents to bolster the official story that it is the casualty of the war.”
Coverage in the Russian state press seems to support this idea, with its allegations that US weapons were used in the attack and the general tone of some reports in which tense and dramatic music is superimposed on videos shot in the region.
For Kiev, it is advantageous “to adopt an observer position and not admit its involvement,” said Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.
“The fact is that the war is taking place on Russian territory; it is a clear indication to the Kremlin that the Russians are not the only ones who can employ hybrid (warfare) methods,” Zhdanov added to the AP.
The participation of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Russian Freedom Legion should serve as an indication that “there are forces inside Russia that can resist Putin’s regime,” he said.
At the same time, the attack on Belgorod “showed Russia’s vulnerability,” Zhdanov said.
“Russia was not ready not at all, just as neither its security forces, nor its border guards, nor its special services were for the hostilities on its own territory. The myth that Russia maintains an airtight border has been debunked,” she added.
Some voices within Russia have supported this sentiment. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of private military group Wagner, used the incident as another opportunity to lash out at Russia’s defense ministry for failing to adequately secure the border.
Alexander Kots, military correspondent of the pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, also expressed concern on his Telegram channel.
“What about our border and security systems engineering team, our motion detection systems?” he asked. “What about mining potentially dangerous areas? And the anti-tank squad? Why did the enemy armed group go so far into our territory?”
These are questions “for which there is no answer,” Kots said. “To be more precise, yes, there are, but they are not pleasant.”
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.