In Telegram, the Russian volunteer group RDK and the Freedom to Russia Legion have been making frequent updates on the events of the past few days.
On Monday, the Russian Volunteer Forces (RDK), which supports Ukraine, crossed the border from Ukraine to Russia in the village of Kozinka, which is part of the town of Graivoron. This is what the US think tank thinks Institute for the Study of War (you move to another service) (ISW).
According to the British Ministry of Defence, it has not been possible to identify the forces that invaded Russia. In its intelligence review, however, it says that the situation indicates that the situation on Russia’s border with Ukraine is now really bad.
Russian independent media Meduzan (you switch to another service) according to the report, another group of Russian volunteers, the Freedom to Russia Legion, also crossed the border. The group also said they were “returning home”.
This is not the first time that Russian volunteer troops go from Ukraine to Russia. Most recently, at the beginning of March, an armed group of 45 men from Ukraine entered Bryansk into Russia. President of Russia Vladimir Putin blamed Ukrainian “neo-Nazis and terrorists” for the invasion.
However, the videos shot on the spot showed that it was a Russian volunteer group from the RDK, who filmed a couple of videos.
This time too, RDK published videos of the events on Telegram.
What does RDK say about the events?
According to ISW, RDK seems to have hit the border post and then crossed the border with at least one tank. ISW also estimates that the photo published by RDK of the body of a Russian border guard at the border station was probably taken near Kozinka in the Graivoron region.
In one video, apparently enthusiastic fighters drive on a bad road. has not been able to verify the authenticity of the video or the filming location.
The second video shows how the Z mark drawn on an armored vehicle is covered with a sticker of RDK troops.
Direct battles are therefore not depicted in any way, and it also remains open whether the troops have returned to the Ukrainian side.
On the account of at least one Russian war blocker, it has been suggested that the troops would have been “pushed back across the border”.
This is how the Freedom to Russia legion describes the events
The Freedom to Russia Legion, fighting on the side of Ukraine, announced yesterday that it will return to its homeland, Russia.
Legion announces on its account that it cooperates with RDK to liberate Russia from the current administration. At the same time, it asks people to share their observations about the movements of the Russian border authorities.
On the pages of the groups, you can see when the group does things in big cities, for example by placing their flag in a visible place or writing on the wall.
The Legion of Free Russia told Ukrainian Public Radio For Suspilne (you switch to another service)that it is working together with the Russian Volunteer Forces (RDK) to create a buffer zone on the Russian border.
This same message is conveyed by the Center for Strategic Communications of Ukraine on Twitter. The purpose of the center is to convey Ukraine’s message.
– After Ukraine’s victory, the “security zone” is one of the key issues in the negotiations with Russia. Ukraine will demand the creation of a demilitarized security zone in the regions of Russia bordering our country.
The last update of both Russian groups asks for financial assistance for their activities.
Russia will again have to report on the actions of the groups
According to British intelligence, the most serious incident in the Belgorod region occurred near the town of Graivoran. In addition to small firefights, for example, drone strikes in the vicinity of the events also increased.
Russia has announced that two people were injured in the attacks carried out by the Ukrainian army, but no one was killed.
Russia considers both Russian groups to be terrorist groups.
Governor of Belgorod Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Tuesday In Telegram (you switch to another service), that the “anti-terrorist” operation in the Belgorod region continues. According to Gladkov, the residents of the area should not return to their homes yet.
For Russia, attacks like this are humiliating. According to the assessment of British intelligence, Russia is taking advantage of the situation by telling the people that it is a victim.