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The Kremlin has described reports of an incursion into the Russian city of Belgorod by pro-Ukrainian “saboteurs” as a deliberate attempt to distract from the battle for Bakhmut, which Moscow claims to have won.
The anti-Kremlin militia launched a cross-border incursion into the Russian city from Ukrainian territory, according to Ukrainian media reports and videos shared online, overrunning one Russian village and advancing on others on Monday.
Two groups of self-described Russian partisans carried out the attack, one of the biggest raids since Russia invaded Ukraine, intelligence officials in Kiev said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin has been informed about the territorial dispute in Belgorod and that work is underway to expel the “saboteurs,” state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Reports suggest there is still some residual fighting on the outskirts of Bakhmut even after Russia claimed it captured the city on Sunday, but that Ukrainian forces have lost control of the last streets of multi-storey buildings within the boundaries of the city.
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The Kremlin says the Belgorod situation was created to distract from the loss of Bakhmut
The Kremlin has accused the raid on Belgorod of a move aimed at distracting attention from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Russian forces claim to have captured Bakhmut in its entirety after more than nine months of attrition fighting, while reports suggest some residual fighting has been seen on the outskirts of the city, but that Ukrainian forces have lost control of the last streets of the city. apartment buildings within city limits.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been informed about the territorial dispute in Belgorod and that work was underway to expel the “saboteurs”, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
“We fully understand the purpose of this diversion: to divert attention from the Bakhmut management and minimize the political effect of the loss of Bakhmut for the Ukrainian side,” Peskov said.
Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said the Belgorod operation will create a “security zone” to protect Ukrainians from Russian attacks, the country’s Hromadske media reported.
Arpan RaiMay 23, 2023 05:00
Anti-Putin militias claim to have raided Russian villages in cross-border raid from Ukraine
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region has accused a Ukrainian “sabotage group” of entering the town of Graivoron, about five kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Officials said the anti-Kremlin militia is said to have launched a cross-border raid from Ukrainian territory, overrunning one Russian village and advancing on others.
The city also came under Ukrainian artillery fire, he said.
The governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said eight people were injured and most residents had left the area, but the situation remained “tense”.
A GUR spokesman told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that the two groups were conducting an operation in the Belgorod region to create a “security belt” to protect Ukrainian civilians. The raid was carried out exclusively by Russian citizens, the spokesman added.
Arpan RaiMay 23, 2023 06:22
Ukraine-based militia ‘working in Russia’s Belgorod to topple Putin regime’
A group calling itself the Russian Freedom Legion, a Ukraine-based militia led by Russian opposition figure Ilya Ponomarev, says it is now working in Russia to topple Putin.
The group took to Twitter and said it had “completely liberated” the border town of Kozinka. He said advanced units had reached the center of Graivoron district further east.
“Move forward. Russia will be free!” he wrote.
The group also released a video showing five heavily armed fighters.
“We are Russians, like you. We are people like you. We want our children to grow up in peace,” said one, facing the camera. “It’s time to end the Kremlin’s dictatorship.”
In Kiev, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted: “Ukraine is watching the events in Russia’s Belgorod region with interest and studying the situation, but has nothing to do with it.
Arpan RaiMay 23, 2023 04:45
Wagner group wants to bring military equipment from Mali to Ukraine, US says
Russia’s Wagner Group is trying to hide its efforts to acquire military equipment for use in Ukraine, the US State Department said.
Washington has been informed that the mercenary force is trying to move these acquisitions through Mali to help Russia in its war and is willing to use false documents for these transactions, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said yesterday. in a press conference.
“There are indications that Wagner has been trying to buy military systems from foreign suppliers and direct those weapons to Mali as a third party,” Miller said.
“We have not yet seen any indication that these acquisitions have been finalized or executed, but we are monitoring the situation closely.”
Miller said Washington has imposed sanctions on several individuals and entities that support Wagner’s military operations, and said the U.S. would have more to share soon.
Arpan Rai23 May 2023 04:26
Videos from inside Belgorod show fights, inspection of captured vehicles
A video released last night from Belgorod showed a fighter inspecting a captured armored vehicle and another video showed what it said were fighters driving an armored vehicle on a rural road.
The video was released by one of two armed Russian opposition groups, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), which carried out operations inside Moscow territory. Another group, the Russian Freedom Legion, is also involved in the attack on Russian forces in Belgorod, according to Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske citing Ukrainian military intelligence.
Other videos posted on Russian and Ukrainian social media channels showed images and videos of what were described as captured Russian soldiers and their identity documents.
The Baza Telegram channel, which has links to Russia’s security services, had previously published aerial footage that appeared to show a Ukrainian armored vehicle advancing towards the Graivoron border checkpoint.
According to Baza, there were signs of fighting in three settlements along the main road leading to Russia.
Russia’s Legion of Freedom released a video showing five armed fighters.
“We are Russians, like you. We are people like you. We want our children to grow up in peace,” said one, facing the camera. “It’s time to end the Kremlin’s dictatorship.”
Arpan RaiMay 23, 2023 03:58
Wagner chief says he will pull fighters out of Bakhmut after ‘capturing city’
The leader of a Russian mercenary group has said he will withdraw his fighters from Bakhmut after claiming to have captured the Ukrainian city.
Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Bakhmut, in the eastern Donetsk-Oblast region, had been captured by his private army on Saturday afternoon, a claim Ukraine continues to dispute.
Instead, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, claimed that Ukrainian forces have partially encircled the eastern city besieged by the flanks and still control part of the city.
Joe MiddletonMay 23, 2023 03:00
ICYMI: Biden pledges ‘shared and unwavering commitment’ to Ukraine at G7 summit
Biden pledges “shared and unwavering commitment” to Ukraine at G7 summit
Joe MiddletonMay 23, 2023 02:00
‘Family photos’ from world summits show Putin’s isolation
They are known as “family photos”, the images of world leaders posing in mock relaxation during world summits.
And like portraits of a family that has isolated a dysfunctional member, recent “family photos” of the G7 and G8, the world’s most industrialized nations, show how marginalized Russian President Vladimir Putin has been.
The Russian president has faced unprecedented international isolation since his nation invaded Ukraine in February 2022. An arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court hangs over his head, clouding his prospects for travel to many destinations , including those considered Moscow’s allies.
Joe MiddletonMay 23, 2023 01:00
Rare earths, Ukraine main agenda of French President Macron’s historic visit to Mongolia
Access to rare earth minerals and Russia’s war against Ukraine were the main protagonists of French President Emmanuel Macron’s historic visit to Mongolia.
Macron met his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh in the capital Ulan Bator on Sunday and pledged to cooperate on the extraction and trade of minerals used in satellites, mobile phones and other key technologies.
The visit was the first by a French head of state to Mongolia, a landlocked democracy of 3 million people twice the size of Texas sandwiched between Russia and China.
Joe MiddletonMay 22, 2023 11:59 p.m
Who are the Wagner Group and why are they so involved in Ukraine?
Vladimir Putin has leaned on military contractors to claim victories in Ukraine, but his leader’s outspoken outbursts have increasingly rattled the Moscow establishment, he writes. Liam James
Joe MiddletonMay 22, 2023 11:00 p.m
