Putin Defectors Say They’ve Seized Belgorod Towns, Vow to ‘Liberate Russia’
Belgorod #Belgorod
Russian fighters serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces say they have seized settlements in the Belgorod region, located near to the Ukrainian border.
The Freedom of Russia Legion—formed weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022—aims “to liberate Russia from Putinism,” Ilya Ponomarev, an exiled Russian politician, who says he is political representative for the group of fighters, told Newsweek on Monday of the latest developments.
The legion was declared a terrorist organization by Russia’s Supreme Court in March. The group claimed on its social media channels on Monday that it had, alongside the RVC, “completely liberated” the settlement of Kozinka in Belgorod, and that its units had entered Graivoron.
Ponomarev, who was the only member of the Russian parliament to vote against Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, told Newsweek that the legion and RVC had “liberated” both Kozinka and Graivoron.
Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced that “a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” had entered the territory of Graivoron.
“The armed forces of the Russian Federation, together with the border service, the Russian Guard and the FSB, are taking the necessary measures to eliminate the enemy. I will report the details,” he said on his Telegram channel.
This is a developing story and it will be updated when further information becomes available.
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