Russian saboteurs are creating a “security strip” in order to protect Ukrainian citizens as the war in Ukraine rages on.
The Kremlin’s defence ministry said on Thursday that it had “repelled three attacks by Ukrainian terrorist groups” as attacks come from across the Russian – Ukrainian border.
But two Russian factions sympathetic to Ukraine have asserted their responsibility for the attacks, further complicating Moscow’s efforts to address a growing insurgency within its own territory.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Express US, Mykola Volkivskyi claimed the volunteers in the raids are fighting for a “free Russia”.
The former parliamentary advisor in Ukraine said: “The main idea of the Russian Volunteer Corps military operation in the Belgorod region is to create a ‘security strip’. It is needed to protect Ukrainian civilians.”
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The Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) has asserted that it is part of the Ukrainian military, but Ukrainian officials have refuted this claim, saying it is an independent group.
A second group, the Freedom of Russia Legion, are believed to have carried out attacks in Belgorod – an oblast close to the Ukrainian border with a population of about 1.5 million.
The Freedom of Russia Legion is believed to have manufactured several attacks on Russian soil, including burning down enlistment offices and flags with the letter ‘Z’, which is a symbol of pro-Russian forces.
Several sabotage attacks are believed to have taken place recently, including the disassembly of Russian train lines to disrupt armor transports – but it is unclear currently who is behind this attack.
Ilya Ponomarev, a political representative of the Freedom of Russia legion, claims the Russian Volunteer Corps operates in a “gray area” but has had contact with the Ukrainian armed forces.
Volkivskyi described the Russian reaction to a previous raid in the region when several vehicles crossed into Russia on May 22.
Volkivskyi said: “[The Kremlin] also announced an urgent gathering of all law enforcement officers in the region – police and Interior Ministry employees.
“The Russians were going to search for saboteurs in the region. Subsequently, the Russians’ panic only began to grow – a ‘counterterrorist operation’ was introduced in the region.”
He said the “Kremlin sees the volunteer corps as a threat” but says the raids as the just “first attempts” by the RDK to take on Vladimir Putin.
Yesterdays raid was accompanied by cross-border shelling into Belgorod from Ukraine, and so far at least eight people have reportedly been injured.
Soon after Russia claimed it had destroyed several vehicles on the Ukrainian side of the border, but no evidence was provided for this claim.
Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: “More than 30 Ukrainian terrorists, four armoured combat vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, and one pickup truck were destroyed on the Ukrainian side of the border.”
Both the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps announced raids into Russian territory yesterday.
The former claimed it was close to seizing the Russian border town of Shebekino, however Moscow said Russian forces were able to repel the groups.
Several attacks have happened inside Russia in the past few days. Earlier this week, President Putin accused Ukraine of attempting to frighten those living in Moscow following a drone attack in capital, however Ukraine has denied any involvement in any of the attacks.
The news comes as Russia up stepped aggression on Kyiv this week, with the Ukrainian capital experiencing numerous attacks.
Three people are known to have died in an attack yesterday, including an 11-year-old girl. It was the fourth attack to take place this week after Moscow’s forces began 17 strikes against Kyiv in May.