Russian authorities are left bewildered as the current situation unfolds in the Belgorod region, proving that even Russia’s own territory can be caught off guard, according to an expert from the Ukrainian news portal Defence Express. Fierce fighting has been ongoing near the Ukrainian border since Monday. Kyiv categorically denies any responsibility for the attack, but analysts agree that such an operation could not have started without the knowledge and consent of the Ukrainians.
Intense clashes have been taking place in the Belgorod region since Monday morning. Two battalions of Russian volunteers (Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom Legion of Russia), claiming to be fighting against the regime of Vladimir Putin, have crossed the Russian border. They destroyed a border post and announced that they had “liberated” two towns.
The fighting is taking place in an area that currently houses a tactical nuclear weapons depot, which was supposed to be evacuated yesterday. Surprised Russians are attempting to repel the attacks of well-equipped intruders. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the region, appealed to the population to remain in shelters until the “counter-terrorist” operation is over.
These covert actions in Russia, carried out with maximum publicity by Russians fighting on the side of Ukraine, must leave the authorities in Moscow dumbfounded, and they are undoubtedly going to continue, stated Ukrainian Defence Express expert Ivan Kyrychevsky in an interview with the Polish Press Agency (PAP) regarding the events near Belgorod. Although we do not know the specifics regarding the number of troops that have attacked Russia and the exact equipment they possess, many indications suggest that this is not a hastily prepared guerrilla uprising.
The information seen in various groups suggests that these Russians in the Belgorod region are on tanks and armoured personnel carriers, so this is not a small-scale diversion involving ten people, explained the expert.
The armament of the rebellious Russians also indicates that the entire operation could not have taken place without the knowledge and support of Kyiv. Detailed information on this matter is currently lacking, but it is already known that this is a legal action that took place with the knowledge of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR on Russian Federation territory. It is a secret operation with maximum public exposure, confirmed Kyrychevsky.
Most likely, we will not hear an official confirmation from Ukrainian authorities that the attack in the Belgorod region was a well-planned military and intelligence operation. The Ukrainians have decided to defeat the Russians with their own weapons and adamantly deny any involvement in the ongoing operation. On Monday, the situation in Russia was commented on by Mykhailo Podolak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Ukraine is observing the events in the Belgorod region of Russia with interest and assessing the situation but has nothing to do with it. As you know, tanks are sold in every Russian military store, and underground partisan groups are composed of Russian citizens,” Podolak wrote on Twitter, suggesting that the ongoing conflict is solely an internal matter of the Russian Federation.