Several attacks took place in the Bolgorod region, suspected by the Kremlin to have been carried out by terrorist groups. Russia says dozens of Ukrainian militants stormed one of its border towns in the Belgorod region, striking targets and forcing an evacuation, before more than 70 of the attackers were killed or repulsed by what authorities called “an anti-terrorist operation“. In the context of the latest situations, many wonder if the end of Putin is near. As for the events in Bolgorod, the group of rebels who generated these attacks say that Putin “will be hanged from the walls of the Kremlin”.
Bolgorod attacks by pro-Ukraine Russian rebels
After the attacks, Ukraine denied any involvement in the clashes on Monday and Tuesday, instead blaming two Russian groups claiming to be volunteers fighting alongside Kiev’s forces in an uprising against President Vladimir Putin’s government.
While neither version could be independently verified, whatever happened appears to have prompted Moscow to rush to respond to one of the worst border incursions since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Belgorod Governor Viacheslav Gladkov said an elderly woman died in the chaotic evacuation and 12 people were injured in the attack and shelling. As fighting there apparently continued Tuesday morning, he urged residents not to return to their homes and only late in the afternoon declared the operation over, according to the AP news agency.
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According to information from the field, it would actually be two groups, namely the “Legion of the Freedom of Russia” and the “Corps of Russian Volunteers”, which would have claimed the attack and announced an ambitious goal of liberating the Belgorod region. Little is known about them other than what they say about themselves, and it is not clear what they are like.
The website of the “Legion for the Freedom of Russia” says it was formed last spring “out of the desire of Russians to fight Putin’s armed gang” and is officially recognized by the military in Kiev. “We are fighting in full cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and under the leadership of the Ukrainian command“, it says on the website. The site said he fought last summer in small battle groups and is now involved in the battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut.
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“We, the Russian volunteers living in Ukraine, have decided to take up arms”
The “Russian Volunteer Corps” page on the Telegram messaging app said it was a formation within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Now he only describes himself as fighting on the Ukrainian side. In August 2022, an ad posted there said the following “We, the Russian volunteers living in Ukraine, decided to take up arms and create a military formation, the Russian Volunteer Corps, so that together with our Ukrainian comrades we would defend our homeland that gave us shelter, and then continue the fight against the regime criminal of Putin and his henchmen”.
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Other posts claimed the group was fighting in southeastern Ukraine or as volunteers serving in other parts of the country, including the Kiev suburbs of Bucha and Irpin. In March, the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility for an incursion into Russia’s Briansk region, another border area.
Media reports at the time identified some of its members as Russian nationalists. In a post on Tuesday, the “Russian Volunteer Corps” described its political views as “right-wing conservatives and traditionalists”.
The Russian Volunteer Corps announces that the end of Putin is near
Much more radical in their statements and even in their actions, the CVR representatives are the ones who recently declared that the end of Putin is near and that he “will be hanged from the walls of the Kremlin”:
“Soon there will be no one in Russia without an acquaintance who has not lost his life in this criminal war.
To end it, we must strike the enemy in the territories they occupy.
The war will continue until the hanged body of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, adorns the walls of the Kremlin,” CVR representatives said on Telegram.
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A Ukrainian official acknowledged that the units had carried out an operation in the area, but insisted that they acted independently. He said the units were “part of the defense and security forces” when they were in Ukraine, but were independent from Kiev. Same
“We can confirm that this operation was carried out by Russian citizens. In Russia, they act as independent entities,” Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency, told CNN.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kremlin forces were working to remove a “sabotage and reconnaissance group,” according to Russian state media.
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The situation in Belgorod marks the first time that Ukrainian-allied forces have launched “a cross-border ground operation against Russian targets,” and this is on a significant scale and clearly intended to cause considerable consternation among local authorities. little, if not quite at the level of the Kremlin, analysts say.
