For several hours, the Russian city of Belgorod was attacked by armed groups.
It turned out to be Russian volunteers who are on Ukraine’s side in the war.
The incident is one of the more extensive ones in the border area between Russia and Ukraine.
On the morning of May 22, two armed groups entered the Russian Belgorod region, which is close to the border with Ukraine, and attacked, among other things, Russian soldiers and the military base that Russia has gathered there. The attacks continued for several hours, with reports of injuries and deaths as a result.The armed groups were soon identified as the Russian Freedom Legion (LSR) and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). The former claims to have been formed by and for Russian volunteers who want to fight for Ukraine in the ongoing war. The other group, RDK, was formed by Russian outspoken neo-Nazis who also state that they are on Ukraine’s side in the war.Only the day after the attack, Russia stated that the armed groups had been pushed back and eliminated. Several civilians had then fled the region. The attack was so extensive that even Russian media reported on it, which is unusual.Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that the incursion was led by Ukraine and was aimed at diverting attention from the situation in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which Russia claims to have taken control of. Ukraine has denied involvement in the attacks.The incident is far from the only one that has taken place in the border area between Ukraine and Russia, but on the other hand it is one of the more extensive. According to Mark Galeotti, a political scientist specializing in Russia in the UK, Ukraine’s military intelligence has stepped up its work of assassinations and sabotage inside Russia to make Russians living near the border realize that the war will affect them too.full screen Smoke rises from the Russian border town of Belgorod. Photo: Twitter
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