Russia's Air Force has bombed its own territory near the border with Ukraine amid a multi-pronged incursion by Russian defectors serving with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a video appears to show.
Andriy Tsaplienko, a Ukrainian journalist, shared a video of an explosion on Friday after the Freedom of Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK)—three Ukraine-aligned volunteer military units—on Tuesday launched a crossborder raid into Russia's southern Belgorod and Kursk regions.
The Freedom of Russia Legion—formed weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022—and the RDK have entered Russia's Belgorod region numerous times throughout the war. The Siberian Battalion, formed in October 2023, joined the two groups for the first time this week.
Alexei Baranovsky—a volunteer of the Freedom of Russia Legion who goes by the call sign "Lutik"—told Newsweek this week that the rebel fighters intend to eventually "march on Moscow." Their goal is "the ensuing liberation of Russia from Putin. We may not be able to pull it off now, but that is our overarching mission," Baranovsky said.
"Russian aviation bombards Russian territory, namely, villages where volunteers of the Freedom of Russia Legion, RDK and the 'Siberia' battalion entered," wrote Tsaplienko.
The aerial footage shows explosions striking a building and thick plumes of smoke rising into the air afterward. Newsweek couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the footage and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email. It said Friday that "more than 50 saboteurs" were killed during an attempt by the groups to break through in the Belgorod region.
In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the defense ministry said Russia's military had "foiled another attempt" by the groups to break through into territory in the Belgorod region, "this time in the area of the border settlement of Kozinka." It added that they had begun to retreat into Ukrainian territory.
Meanwhile, early on Friday afternoon, the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Siberian Battalion and the RDK issued a joint statement. It said that "within the next hour, a massive attack will be carried out on military targets in the city of Belgorod."
"We urge local residents to immediately head to safe shelters and to stay put until the attack is over," the statement added. "Spread this message among Belgorod residents and help save the lives of fellow countrymen."
The military units said on Wednesday that they were "forced to inflict fire on military positions located in Belgorod" because "every day, dozens of ordinary innocent Ukrainians (mostly women and children) die from shelling from Belgorod."
"The shelling of Ukraine from the territory of Belgorod must stop!" they added.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
