Time and time again, Belgorod – Blick explains the meaning of the attacks on the Russian border town: is this the beginning of a Ukrainian counter-invasion?

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For the past two weeks, pro-Ukrainian militants have attacked positions near the Russian city of Belgorod. So far, several people have died and dozens of homes have been damaged.

Fighting between the Russian army and volunteer groups fighting alongside the Ukrainians flared up again this weekend. Russia’s defense ministry said it had managed to prevent a “sabotage and reconnaissance group of Ukrainian terrorists” from crossing a nearby river.

Why are pro-Ukrainian rebels attacking Belgorod in particular?

Belgorod was the starting point for the Russians when they attacked the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, 70 kilometers away, shortly after the outbreak of war. When Kharkiv was recaptured, thousands of Russian soldiers retreated to Belgorod. The city is connected by a direct main road to Moscow, which is about 600 kilometers away.

In Belgorod, the Russians have set up rocket ramps and fuel depots. At least four of these supply depots have gone up in flames since the start of the war. The border town is home to tens of thousands of Ukrainians who fled to the region after the 2014 war in Donbass broke out. The attackers can therefore also count on support on site.

What is the historical importance of Belgorod?

The city is the economic and administrative center of the oblast with the same name and has about 350,000 inhabitants. It was occupied by the German Wehrmacht during World War II and 90 percent destroyed.

Many people fled or were deported to Germany as workers. When it was liberated in 1943, only 700 people lived there. Today, the world’s largest nuclear submarine, 184 meters long, bears the city’s name.

Who has attacked the city in recent days?

Since May 22, two right-wing extremist Russian groups fighting on the side of Ukraine have been behind the attacks: the Free Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps. Also recently Polish mercenaries from the Polish Volunteer Corps are said to have been involved.

How does the Kremlin react?

Moscow was “deeply concerned” about the situation in Belgorod. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (55) also used the occasion of the “sabotage of Ukrainian fighters against Russia” to defend Moscow’s war against Ukraine again.

The former Russian secret service officer Igor Girkin (52) sees the attacks on Russian territory mainly as a “diversion of the enemy” to launch the long-planned major offensive. Ukraine’s goal is to get Russia to spend more resources on protecting its own territory.

Is this the start of a Ukrainian counter-invasion of Russia?

Indeed, the Kremlin has warned of an imminent Ukrainian invasion of Belgorod. According to experts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), this is pure propaganda. “Russian claims about an imminent Ukrainian attack on the Belgorod region are absurd and aim only to frighten the public into further supporting the war.”

Ukraine has no strategic interest in an invasion by Russia and Ukrainian forces are incapable of carrying out an attack of this magnitude.

Source: Blick