An aerial view shows destructions in the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on May 21, 2023. Press Service of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Machanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS
KYIV - Russia has reported a cross-border incursion by saboteurs from Ukraine, marking one of the largest attacks since the war began last year.
The governor of Russia's Belgorod region stated that a Ukrainian "sabotage group" had entered Russian territory in the Graivoron district and was being repelled. However, Ukrainian military intelligence, as cited by Hromadske, claimed that two-armed Russian opposition groups, the Liberty of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), comprised of Russian citizens, were responsible for the attack.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the situation, and efforts were underway to expel the "saboteurs." A senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasized that Kyiv had no involvement in the incursion and attributed it to Russia's emerging "violent resistance movement."
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that the Russian army, border guards, presidential guards, and the FSB security service were engaged in the operation. He mentioned that at least six people had been injured, and three houses and an administrative building had been damaged. Reports suggested fighting in three settlements along the main road leading into Russia, with power and water supply being cut off to several villages.
The group known as the Liberty of Russia Legion, led by Russian opposition figure Ilya Ponomarev and operating inside Russia to overthrow Putin, claimed on Twitter that it had "completely liberated" the border town of Kozinka and had advanced further east to the district center of Graivoron. A senior aide to President Zelenskiy, Mykhailo Podolyak, supported Ukrainian military intelligence's claims and expressed hope that the Russian liberation movement could contribute to ending the war in Ukraine and instigating transformative events in the Russian political elite.
The reported incursion occurred two days after Russia announced capturing the final blocks of Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces had advanced in Bakhmut while retreating on the city's northern and southern outskirts, resulting in conflicting claims of momentum from both sides. Ukraine emphasized its advances on the flanks as a significant development, while Russia believed capturing Bakhmut would lead to further advances. Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar stated that Ukrainian forces were still advancing, particularly in the south, but the fighting on the northern flank had temporarily diminished.
The battle for Bakhmut has revealed tensions between Russia's regular armed forces and the Wagner Group, a private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. Prigozhin has been openly mocking the Russian generals in his daily audio and video messages. He reiterated his intention to withdraw his troops from Bakhmut and hand it over to regular forces, suggesting that they could use additional support, even in the form of a battalion of generals armed with guns.