Anti-Putin forces have invaded Russia for the first time

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So far there have been individual drone and missile strikes against targets in Russia. Ukraine also has saboteurs in the enemy country who act as partisans and carry out attacks on Russian infrastructure – on railway lines, power lines, transport. But on Monday, something happened that hadn’t happened before in the 15-month war. Anti-Putin units from Ukraine crossed the Russian border near Belgorod in the morning, attacked a border post and apparently took several towns. They abandoned one of their US MRAP armored cars as they left. On the other hand, the partisans captured a Soviet-era Russian BTR-82 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle.

Two Russian organizations have claimed responsibility for the actions: the Free Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps. The Legion consists of defectors from the Russian Armed Forces, as well as other Russian and Belarusian volunteers not affiliated with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In a statement, the legionnaires called on the people of Belgorod not to resist and not to be afraid: «We are not your enemies. Unlike Putin’s zombies, we do not touch civilians or use them for our own purposes. Freedom is at hand!”

Diversionary maneuvers in Kiev

The Russian media condemned the attacks as a diversion in Kiev to divert attention from its Bakhmut-Waterloo. The Ria Novosti news agency talks about Kiev’s attempt to cover up the loss of Bakhmut. Moscow accuses terrorists. In Belgorod, a regime was quickly proclaimed to combat terrorism, ie the abolition of civil rights with stricter surveillance of citizens. Vyacheslav Gladkov (54), governor of the region, reports this on Telegram.

Russian propagandists spoke of several deaths. Gladkow, on the other hand, only wants to confirm a few injuries. According to this, most of the invaders could be driven from Russian soil by nightfall. There were initially no reports of prisoners or partisans remaining holed up in the area. However, more explosions were reported in the area on Tuesday night, including a drone attack on the Interior Ministry building in Belgorod.

The Kremlin blames a Ukrainian sabotage group for the attacks. Dmitri Peskov (55), spokesman for the war president Vladimir Putin (70), who has been informed of the incidents, spoke of enough troops and war equipment on site to fight the saboteurs. Peskov: The aim of the sabotage attack was “to divert attention from Bakhmut and minimize the political impact of the loss of the territory by the Ukrainian side”.

Putin’s battle on two fronts

A similar incident had already occurred in March. It was a one-off at the time, but on Monday, war seemed to have arrived in Russia. A possible strategy from Kiev: If the Russians have to mass troops on their own soil, key troops missing in Ukraine will be tied up.

Officially, Ukraine is silent about the attacks. President Volodymyr Zelensky (45) has repeatedly stated that while targets within Russia are legitimate, his country has no intention of attacking Russian territory. The offensive serves to “take back the illegally conquered territories,” he said recently in Berlin.

But the longer the war lasts, the more lasting the consequences for Russian society. When it invaded on February 24 last year, Moscow thought it was invincible. Since then, Ukrainians have succeeded in sowing panic and undermining Russian morale in an increasingly demoralized Russia. Disruptive actions, such as crossing the border on Monday, are likely part of Kiev’s offensive plans to increase pressure on Putin. This while the Kremlin regime must also use all its powers to suppress the growing resistance in its own country. The banned white-blue-white flag of free Russia has just been sighted over Moscow. Putin is not only fighting on the Ukrainian front. (kes)

Source: Blick