2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions
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2023 Belgorod Oblast incursion | |||||||
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Part of the 2022–2023 Western Russia attacks in the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |||||||
![]() Reported extent of territorial control on 23 May 2023. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Units involved | |||||||
![]() Supported by: Ukraine (claimed by Ilya Ponomarev)[2] |
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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 destroyed 2 M1151 Humvees captured 1 M1152 Humvee damaged and captured 1 AMZ Dzik-2 damaged and 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: 2 civilians killed[12] 13 civilians wounded[12][13][14][15] many residents displaced[10] |
On 22 May 2023, armed groups crossed the border from Ukraine into Belgorod Oblast, Russia, and clashed with Russian government forces.[16][17][18] Two Russian rebel groups allied with and based in Ukraine—the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps—claimed to have taken control of several border settlements, with fighting ongoing.[19][20] Russian authorities said the attacks were conducted by a Ukrainian "sabotage group",[16] and imposed counter-terrorism measures in the region.[21] It is the largest incursion into Russian territory since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[4] On 24 May Russia claimed that all attackers had been liquidated but this was denied by Ilya Ponomarev, the political representative of the Freedom of Russia Legion who claimed that the forces have not taken any losses and are continuing to advance inside Russia with the goal of capturing Moscow.[22][23]
Background
Several attacks in Western Russia, primarily in 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."[24]
The Russian Volunteer Corps, a Russian nationalist group fighting against the Russian government, had claimed responsibility for a brief incursion into neighboring Bryansk Oblast in March 2023.[25]
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.[26]
Attack
22 May
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0.jpg/220px-%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0.jpg)
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.[27] 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".[27][4] As claimed by him, there were explosions and drone attacks on communities in the region.[17] The deputy head of Grayvoron's municipal administration and two emergency workers were reportedly wounded in the attack that damaged the town hall.[28]
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,[27][19][20] Gora-Podol,[29] and Glotovo[3] and that its forward units had reached the local district capital of Grayvoron.[27][20] They claimed to be creating a "demilitarized zone".[18] 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.[30]
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 and Churovichi in neighboring Bryansk Oblast.[29]
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.[31]
On the evening of 22 May,[32] Gladkov announced that counter-terrorism restrictions 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.[21] Authorities "clamped down" on communications and movement to preserve informational security.[33]
Gladkov also said that the Belgorod regional 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.[34] The Belgorod-22 site is Military Unit Number 25624[35] of the 12th Chief Directorate.[36]
23 May
According to video reports, the Federal Security Service (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] The BBC was able to establish that an FSB building was hit, but it was unclear what caused the damaged. Gladkov stated that one civilian was killed in the fighting and that a drone had been shot down.[37]
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have defeated the insurgents and pushed the fighters back to the Ukrainian border, allegedly killing more than 70 of the "nationalists", who it insisted were Ukrainian.[37][38][39] Accordingly, the counter-terrorism operations regime was lifted in the afternoon of 23 May.[39] The Russian defense ministry also released images of allegedly abandoned Western-made military vehicles.[37] The ISW assessed that Russian government forces had likely pushed the anti-government forces back across the border on May 23 and also noted Russian claims that the Azov Brigade and Kraken Regiment where also preforming separate border raids.[40]
The Freedom of Russia Legion, conversely, said that its forces were continuing to liberate the region,[41] in a Telegram post on the morning of 23 May.[39] The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) stated that its members had not been killed and that it had not lost equipment. It stated that the military camouflage patterns shown on people's clothing in a photo distributed by Russian officials were pixelated patterns that differed from the MultiCam patterns that RVC members wear.[42]
Later in the day, the RVC posted a photo of themselves supposedly entering Gogolevka , a village in Kursk Oblast.[43][better source needed] Readovka stated that Russian anti-government forces entered Bogun-Gorodok , in Borisovsky District of Belgorod Oblast.[44]
Losses
A list of the destroyed and captured vehicles of both sides can be seen below.[45]
Russia (4, of which destroyed: 3, captured: 1)
Vehicle | Number lost | Status |
---|---|---|
Infantry Fighting Vehicles (1, of which captured: 1) | ||
BTR-82A | 1 | (1, captured) |
Towed Artillery (1, of which destroyed: 1) | ||
100mm T-12 Anti-Tank Gun | 1 | (1, destroyed) |
Vehicles (2, of which destroyed: 2) | ||
Ural-4320 Truck | 2 | (1, destroyed), (2, destroyed) |
Freedom of Russia Legion (8, of which destroyed: 2, captured: 6)
Vehicle | Number lost | Status |
---|---|---|
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, captured), (2, captured) |
M1152 HMMWV | 1 | (1, damaged and captured) |
AMZ Dzik-2 | 1 | (1, damaged and captured) |
Vehicles (1, of which destroyed: 1) | ||
Isuzu TF Pick-Up Truck | 1 | (1, destroyed) |
Ukrainian involvement
Russian officials have insisted that the fighters represented "Ukrainian nationalist formations".[39] However, Ukrainian officials have denied any direct involvement by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the incursion, instead saying that all fighters were Russian citizens.[37][30]
The Freedom of Russia Legion has been described as "operating under the umbrella" of the Ukraine's International Legion.[46] 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]
According to BBC News, it is unlikely that the incursion was made without the assistance of Ukrainian military intelligence, and may play into the Russian government's narratives that Russia is under attack by Western-backed forces.[37]
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.[47][48]
Ukrainian preident Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that the Ukrainian government had "nothing to do with" the incursion, calling it on an organic Russian "violent resistance movement".[49] Zelenskyy's senior aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, concurred and said that Ukraine was monitoring the situation with interest, but was not involved in the conflict.[50] He ironically[10] said that "tanks are sold at any Russian military store", referencing Russia's previous use of proxy forces in the war against Ukraine.[32]
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".[20] He said that Russian president Vladimir Putin was informed about the incident.[51] Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Security Council of Russia, blamed Kyiv regime for the attack and called for extermination of the perpetrators without taking them prisoners.[52]
United States
U.S. 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".[53] He also acknowledged reports "circulating on social media and elsewhere" that U.S.-supplied weapons were used in the attack, but said the U.S. was "sceptical at this time of the veracity" of such reports.[37]
Other reactions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_the_fictional_%22Belgorod_People%27s_Republic%22.svg/220px-Flag_of_the_fictional_%22Belgorod_People%27s_Republic%22.svg.png)
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.[49][54]
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".[30] Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian Ministry of Defense of incompetence in defending Russia and its borders.[30]
See also
Notes
- ^ See § Ukrainian involvement for more details.
References
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- Current events from May 2023
- 2022–2023 Belarusian and Russian partisan movement
- May 2023 events in Russia
- Attacks in Europe in 2023
- Attacks in Russia
- Cross-border operations
- Spillover of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Northeastern Ukraine campaign
- History of Belgorod Oblast
- Grayvoronsky District
- Federal Security Service
- National Guard of Russia