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2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions

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2023 Belgorod Oblast incursion
Part of the 2022–2023 Western Russia attacks in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Reported extent of territorial control on 22 May 2023
Date22 May 2023 – present
(1 year, 1 month and 1 day)
Location
Parts of Grayvoronsky, Borisovsky and Belgorodsky Districts, Belgorod Oblast, Russia
50°29′N 35°40′E / 50.483°N 35.667°E / 50.483; 35.667
Result

Ongoing

Belligerents
Freedom of Russia Legion
Russian Volunteer Corps
 Ukraine (alleged by Russia, denied by Ukraine)[a]		  Russia
Commanders and leaders
Denis Nikitin[1] Russia Aleksandr Lapin[2]
Units involved

Freedom of Russia Legion

Russian Volunteer Corps

Russian Armed Forces
Federal Security Service

Police of Russia

National Guard
Strength
1+ tank(s)[3][4]
3+ armoured vehicles[5][6]		 Multiple helicopters[7]
Casualties and losses
2 International M1224 MaxxPro captured
1 KRAZ Cobra [uk] destroyed
2 M1151 Humvees captured
1 pickup truck destroyed
Per Russia:
70+ killed[8]
1 unmanned aerial vehicle shot down[9]
4 armoured fighting vehicles destroyed[8]
5 pickup trucks destroyed[8]		 1 BTR-82A captured
Per RVC:
several personnel captured[10]
1 border guard killed[11]
Per Russia: 1 civilian killed[12]
12 civilians wounded[13][14][15]
many residents displaced[10]

On 22 May 2023, two Ukraine-based Russian opposition partisan groups, the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps, attacked targets in Grayvoronsky District of Belgorod Oblast.[16][17] The Freedom of Russia Legion claimed the groups took control of several border towns in the district, with fighting ongoing.[18][19] In response, Russia's counter-terrorist operation regime [ru] was imposed in the region to combat the incursion.[20] It is the largest incursion into Russian territory since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[4]

Background

Main articles: 2022–2023 Western Russia attacks, Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Russo-Ukrainian War

Several attacks in Western Russia, primarily in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, were reported since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. Russia accused Ukraine of being responsible for these attacks. According to The Moscow Times, in June 2022, "Ukraine [had] not claimed responsibility for the attacks ... while not formally denying being behind them."[21]

The Russian Volunteer Corps, a Russian nationalist group fighting against the Russian government, claimed responsibility for a brief incursion into neighboring Bryansk Oblast in March 2023.[22]

Late at night 21 May 2023, Belgorod Oblast officials claimed that a quadcopter had dropped explosives on a government building in the village of Golovchino.[23]

Attack

22 May

2019 aerial view of the border village of Kozinka, which on 22 May 2023 became the starting point of a pro-Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory

On 22 May 2023, footage emerged on Russian Telegram channels showing an apparent military incursion into the border checkpoint in the Grayvoronsky District of Belgorod Oblast.[24] Later that day, Belgorod Oblast governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced via Telegram that a "Ukrainian military sabotage and reconnaissance group" had entered the district, saying that Russian forces were "taking the necessary steps to eliminate the enemy".[24][4] As claimed by him, there were explosions and drone attacks on communities in the region.[16] The deputy head of Grayvoron's municipal administration and two emergency workers were reportedly wounded in the attack that damaged the town hall.[25]

The Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility for the incursion, announcing that the two organizations working together had taken control of the villages of Kozinka,[24][18][19] Gora-Podol,[26] and Glotovo [ru][3] and that its forward units had reached the local district capital of Grayvoron.[24][19] They claimed to be creating a "demilitarized zone".[17] The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed that Kozinka had indeed been captured by the Ukraine-aligned forces, but that it was unclear if the other settlements were as well.[27]

Additionally, fighters of the Russian Volunteer Corps posted photos of their members in front of road signs for the settlement of Bezlyudovka in Belgorod Oblast, as well as Lyubimovka [ru] and Churovichi [ru; uk] in neighboring Bryansk Oblast.[26]

While the incursion was taking place, the Freedom of Russia Legion posted videos showing the white-blue-white Russian opposition flag being lifted with balloons flying in the center of Moscow. The flag that the legion uses is based on this flag.[28]

23 May

According to video reports, the FSB office located in the city of Belgorod was struck and damaged by a drone attack, nearly 80 kilometres (50 mi) away from the "combat zone".[10]

Russia later claimed to have crushed the incursion by pushing the fighters back into Ukrainian territory and killing more than 70 of the "attackers".[8] The Freedom of Russia Legion, conversely, said that its forces were continuing to "liberate" the region[29] in a Telegram post on Tuesday morning.[30]

Belgorod government response

On the evening of 22 May,[31] Gladkov announced that counter-terrorism restrictions [ru] were being introduced across Belgorod Oblast, under which citizens will need to provide documents confirming their identity, and industries that use hazardous materials will be suspended, among other restrictions.[20] Authorities "clamped down" on communications and movement to preserve informational security.[32]

Gladkov also said that the Belgorod government, with cooperation between local officials and the Ministry of Emergency Situations was going from house to house in border villages to evacuate civilians, and that "most of the population" had been evacuated.[15]

According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces began an emergency evacuation of nuclear ammunition stockpiles from the Belgorod-22 facility in Belgorod Oblast.[33] The Belgorod-22 site is Military Unit Number 25624[34] of the 12th Chief Directorate.[citation needed]

Losses

A list of the destroyed and captured vehicles of both sides can be seen below.[35]

Russia (1, of which captured: 1)
Infantry Fighting Vehicles (1, of which captured: 1)
BTR-82A 1 (1, captured)
Freedom of Russia Legion (8, of which destroyed: 2, captured: 6)
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles (2, of which captured: 2)
International M1224 MaxxPro 2 (1, captured) (2, captured)
Infantry Mobility Vehicles (5, of which destroyed: 1, captured: 4)
KrAZ Cobra 1 (1, destroyed)
M1151 HMMWV 2 (1 and 2, captured)
M1152 HMMWV 1 (1, damaged and captured)
AMZ Dzik-2 1 (1, damaged and captured)
Vehicles (1, of which destroyed: 1)
Pick-Up Truck 1 (1, destroyed)

Ukrainian involvement

Ukrainian officials have denied any direct involvement by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the incursion.[27] Russian officials insist the fighters are Ukrainian.[30]

The Freedom of Russia Legion has been described as a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, specifically operating under the umbrella of the Ukraine's International Legion.[36] However, Ukrainian officials have stated that the Freedom of Russia Legion is a "part of defense and security forces" when engaging in activities in Ukraine, whilst independent of Ukraine outside of the country.[9]

Governmental reactions

Ukraine

According to the spokesman of the Ukraine's Military Intelligency Agency (HUR), Andriy Yusov, speaking on 22 May, the incursion was carried out by the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion to "liberate territories" and create a security corridor to protect Ukrainian civilians. He stated that the striking force was solely composed of Russian citizens.[37][38]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the Ukrainian government had "nothing to do with" the incursion, blaming it on an organic Russian "violent resistance movement".[39] Zelenskyy's senior aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, concurred and said that Ukraine was monitoring the situation with interest, but was not involved in the conflict.[40] He ironically[10] said that "tanks are sold at any Russian military store", referencing Russia's previous use of proxy forces in war against Ukraine.[31]

Russia

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the attack an attempt by Ukraine "to divert attention from the Bakhmut direction and minimise the political effect of Bakhmut's loss for the Ukrainian side".[19] He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the incident.[41]

United States

US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that while the United States "doesn't enable or encourage attacks outside Ukraine’s borders", that "it is Russia that launched this war" and thus "it is up to Ukraine to decide how they want to conduct their military operations".[42]

Other reactions

The "Belgorod People's Republic" flag

Ukrainian sources began circulating a photo showing three soldiers participating in the incursion proclaiming a so-called "Belgorod People's Republic" and holding a flag of the supposed republic.[3] Internet memes about creating such an entity, a satire of the pro-Russian Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, erupted on Ukrainian social media as a result of the incursion.[39][43]

According to the ISW's assessment, the Russian milblogger informational space reacted to the incursion "with [...] panic, factionalism, and incoherency", consistent with its previous responses to "significant informational shocks".[27] Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian Ministry of Defense of incompetence in defending Russia and its borders.[27]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ See § Ukrainian involvement for more details.

References

  1. ^ ""Операція продовжується": у РДК заперечили заяви Міноборони РФ про втрати серед бійців". Фокус. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Операцию по зачистке Белгородской области от диверсантов проводит генерал Лапин". Главный региональный. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Barnes, Joe; Vasilyeva, Nataliya (22 May 2023). "Pro-Ukrainian fighters launch cross-border tank raid to 'capture' Russian villages". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "'Sabotage' group crossed into Russia, Belgorod governor says". DW News. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  5. ^ Roth, Andrew (22 May 2023). "Anti-Putin militia claims to have overrun Russian border village". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Pro-Ukrainian Russian partisans advance into Russia's Belgorod region in surprise raid". Yahoo! News. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Ukraine war: Russia battles armed group in border region". BBC. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Mohamed, Edna. "Russia says Belgorod attackers driven back to Ukraine". www.aljazeera.com.
  9. ^ a b Butenko, Victoria; Chernova, Anna (22 May 2023). "Russia accuses Ukraine of mounting 'sabotage' attack across border". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  10. ^ a b c d Polityuk, Pavel (May 23, 2023). "Fighting in Russian region enters second day after raid from Ukraine". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  11. ^ "Institute for the Study of War".
  12. ^ "Russian 'clean up' operation after raid on Belgorod from Ukraine". Aljazeera. 23 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Russia-Ukraine live news: Attacks on Belgorod region continue / Belgorod assault leaves 12 injured, says governor". Aljazeera. 23 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Russian Border Region Says Ukrainian 'Sabotage' Unit Carried Out Incursion". The Moscow Times. May 22, 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023.
  15. ^ a b "At least 8 people injured in attack on Russia's Belgorod region, governor says". CNN. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Governor claims explosions in Russia's Belgorod Oblast". Kyiv Independent. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Freedom of Russia Legion says they are creating a "demilitarised zone" in Russia". Ukrainska Pravda. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion report liberation of two settlements in Belgorod Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d "Russian regional governor says Ukrainian 'sabotage group' crossed border". Reuters. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Russia's Belgorod region imposes counterterrorism restrictions in response to incursion by pro-Ukrainian groups". Meduza. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Cross-border shelling damages Russian bridge, refinery". The Moscow Times. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  22. ^ Dixon, Robyn; Ebel, Francesca; Ilyushina, Mary (2023-03-02). "Kremlin accuses Ukraine of violent attack in western Russia". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  23. ^ "Fire engulfs administrative building in Belgorod Oblast, alleged drone attack reported". Yahoo News. 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  24. ^ a b c d "Belgorod governor reports incursion into region by 'Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group'". Meduza. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  25. ^ "Casualty count rises in Grayvoron district near Ukrainian border. Six civilians injured by shelling, Belgorod governor reports". Meduza. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
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  27. ^ a b c d Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Philipson, Layne; Kagan, Frederick W. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 22, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  28. ^ Davis, Charles R. (23 May 2023). "Russian opposition group posts video of what appears to be an antiwar flag above Moscow following purported cross-border raid". Business Insider.
  29. ^ "Russia claims 'defeating' Belgorod incursion without providing any footage". The Kyiv Independent. 23 May 2023. Wikidata Q118611577. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023.
  30. ^ a b Armstrong, Kathryn; Gregory, James (May 23, 2023). "Belgorod raid: Insurgents defeated after rare cross-border incursion - Russia". BBC News.
  31. ^ a b Roth, Andrew (2023-05-22). "Anti-Putin militia claims to have overrun Russian border village". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  32. ^ "Russian governor says Ukrainian 'saboteurs' crossed border, Ukraine credits partisans". Reuters. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  33. ^ "Russians urgently evacuating nuclear stocks from Belgorod region – intel". Ukrinform. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  34. ^ "Russia transport nuclear weapons from storage facility in Belgorod Oblast – Intelligence". Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  35. ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost. "The Ballad Of Belgorod: Listing Equipment Losses During The 2023 Russian Incursion Into Russia". Oryx. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  36. ^ Schwirtz, Michael (12 February 2023). "They Are Russians Fighting Against Their Homeland. Here's Why". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-02-26.
  37. ^ "Ukrainian military intelligence: Russian groups behind incursion". Reuters. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  38. ^ "Операція зі створення "смуги безпеки" на кордоні з РФ: що відомо про події у Бєлгородській області". Suspilne. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  39. ^ a b Polityuk, Pavel (22 May 2023). "Russia says it's battling cross-border raids; nothing to do with us, says Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023.
  40. ^ "Zelenskyy's senior aide says Ukraine has nothing to do with Belgorod operation". Al Jazeera English. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  41. ^ "Kremlin says Putin has been informed of incursion into Belgorod Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  42. ^ "US Department of State reacts to events in Belgorod Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  43. ^ ""Боже, бомбі Бєлгород": мережа вибухнула мемами через події в "БНР"" ["Oh my god, bomb Belgorod": Internet blows up with "BNR" memes]. Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
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