Invasion of Russia Day 1? Incursion in Belgorod Region by Russian Volunteers

"Sabotage-reconnaissance group" from the Armed Forces of Ukraine was accused by the administration of Russia's Belgorod region of having infiltrated its territory. This was announced on the Telegram channel of the governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, according to whom the Russian military and counterintelligence are working to "liquidate " the opponent.

Legion "Freedom of Russia" and Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) conduct an operation in the Belgorod region - Ukrainian intelligence
Ukrainian State Intelligence Service spokesman Andrei Yusov confirmed to the "Suspilne" newspaper that Legion "Freedom of Russia" and the RVC are… pic.twitter.com/9yXvNklR8Y

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 22, 2023

At the time of this article's publication, Gladkov had not yet released the promised "details", although Russian state agencies were quick to clarify that they were keeping the Kremlin in the loop. The press secretary of the presidency, Dmitry Peskov, saw in what was happening only an attempt to divert attention from Bakhmut, less than 48 hours after the private military company "Wagner" announced that this city was under its control.

As Arrow intel points out Grayvoron is a town of more than 6,000 people. So it's not just a street with a few houses. https://t.co/MbjpftnFTI

— Faytuks News Δ (@Faytuks) May 22, 2023

However, a dispute arose between the Russian authorities and Kyiv about who is responsible: the spokesman of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) Andriy Yusov said that opposition-minded Russian citizens, such as the Legion "Freedom for Russia" and the "Russian Volunteer Corps", may be behind what happened.

Helicopters over the Belgorod region. pic...