In a shocking twist ripped straight from the pages of a Cold War thriller, two outlaw Russian factions have claimed credit for a daring raid deep into Russian territory! The supposed prize? A quiet village tucked away on the edge of Mother Russia. If this sounds familiar, it is because these troublemakers made headlines a few months back for pulling off a similar stunt. Meanwhile, Kiev is playing innocent, denying any hand in this outrageous operation.
The flashpoint is Belgorod, a peaceful Russian borderland, now embroiled in turmoil. Here, rogue partisan forces, bold enough to stick their tongues out at the Putin regime, have made audacious claims of territorial conquests. They have even uploaded a provocative video on Twitter, a brazen display of a tank rolling through a serene Russian village, supposedly infiltrating from Ukraine.
The group with a name that sounds like a blockbuster, the ‘Legion of Russian Freedom’, is beating its own drum, crowing about ‘liberating’ the village Kozinka hand-in-hand with the ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’. Moreover, the partisans are firing off some brazen bulletins: ‘Our vanguard has hit Graivoron. The game’s still on. Russia will be free.’ For those not in the know, Graivoron is the next stop after Kozinka, with the bustling city of Belgorod about a stone’s throw away (or a 70-kilometre drive, to be precise).
In the midst of this growing uproar, Belgorod’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has hit the panic button. He has announced the penetration of a spy and sabotage squad into the Graivoron district, resulting in unfortunate bystanders injured, some severely enough to land in the hospital. Our sympathies are with the innocent woman currently battling it out in intensive care.
However, amid all this chaos and confusion, the Kremlin is keeping a stiff upper lip. Confirming these unsettling events, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov admits a ‘sabotage squad’ was engaged, but shrugs it off as a manoeuvre by Ukraine to distract attention from the military situation in Bakhmut.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence service reluctantly confirms the rumoured fights, but they have got an interesting take on it: the ‘Legion of Russian Freedom’ and the ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’ consist solely of Russian citizens, not Ukrainians. Adding fuel to the fire, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Zelensky, tweeted, ‘Ukraine is observing the events in the Belgorod region in Russia with interest and is studying the situation, but it has nothing to do with it.’
The ‘Legion of Russian Freedom’ was born out of the Ukrainian army’s international volunteer corps amidst the clamour of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine. It has quickly earned itself a ‘terrorist’ badge from Moscow. Their rallying cry? Toppling Putin. In a teary-eyed confession to an AFP journalist a few months back, their spokesman declared, ‘I’m no traitor. I’m a true Russian patriot. I’m not fighting the motherland, I’m fighting the Putin regime, the tyranny.’
As the dust settles in Belgorod, these maverick fighters have taken to Ukrainian TV to make a bold declaration. Together with the ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’, they plan on establishing a ‘demilitarised zone’ along the border. It is a high-stakes gamble and we are all eager to see how this drama unfolds.
The ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’ shot to international infamy this March, causing quite the global stir. The Russian domestic intelligence service, the FSB, was all abuzz with reports of skirmishes with supposed Ukrainian sabotage squads. The showdown allegedly took place on Russian turf, in the borderlands of Bryansk, 300 to 400 kilometres away from Belgorod. Ukraine, however, was quick to wash its hands of any involvement.
In a tell-all video that surfaced later, Russian nationalists – the ones doing Ukraine’s dirty work – owned up to the attacks. The mastermind supposedly pulling the strings? None other than Denis Kapustin, the bloke credited with founding the ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’. Branded a neo-nazi, Kapustin is said to be on a personal crusade against Putin. The Ukraine, though, was quick to distance itself from Kapustin.
Great article.
BUT the Ukraine is the Russian borderland not Belgorod.
Literally, what “the Ukraine” translates to.
Looking forward to seeing some reliable news updates about this today.
I feel bad for the Russians living in these small towns. To see this scum call themselves “peace keepers” is peak clown world.
Both Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia were beaten senseless in Bakhmut. Kiev withdrew them because they are more useful for propaganda purposes than in real combat.
Overpowering a small guard post isn’t civil war. Just loser opportunists running a script written to try to raise hope for a losing cause and keep the western funds rolling in.
Even their flag is ugly.
What’s the history behind it? Is there any?
Kasputin another nazi jew.
This is the type of freak involved in fake organizations like these.
When his justice comes it won’t be pretty.
Russia should arrest his family if any remain in the country.
He is or was involved in all kinds of unsavory activities. In need of the sledgehammer.
Has ties to an American group nearly everyone thinks is run by the feds. Surprise, surprise.