A cross-border attack in Russia’s Belgorod region this week has drawn attention to Russian rebels who have been fighting in their homeland, while waging war in Ukraine.
The Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility for the violence in the western countryside, about 80 kilometers north of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.
The Kremlin describes the perpetrators of the attacks as “Ukrainian spoilers“and he said that they killed more than 70 people of the two groups combined, and I call them “Ukrainian nationalists.”
While they may be united in their anti-Kremlin mission, the groups appear to have different origins and goals.
A self-proclaimed rebel group has seized a small area in Russia near the border with Ukraine. The Kremlin says the attack was planned by Kyiv, but their ties are unclear.
What is the Freedom of the Russian Legion?
First appearance in March 2022The Liberty of Russia Legion – sometimes referred to as the Liberty of Russia Legion – is believed to have been formed by former Russian soldiers who left shortly after Russia launched a war in Ukraine.
In a self-explanatory “manifesto” posted on the Telegram channel linked to the group, the armed group describes itself as opposed to the “dictatorship” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of turning their country into a “pariah.”
“He has killed and continues to kill Russians who are fighting against the oppressive regime for the right to live freely, he continues to kill thousands of civilians and hundreds of children in Ukraine,” the group wrote in a letter on Russian TV. platform in April 2022.
In February, a New York Times profile of the group said it was fighting them International Legion for the Defense of Ukrainewhich the Ukrainian government made foreign citizens “wanting to join the resistance” against Russia.
Others reports show he has 4,000 soldiers in his ranks.
On its website, the group said it fought “small armed groups” last summer, and is now fighting in the eastern part of the city. Bakhmut.
The Supreme Court of Russia has decided that Freedom of Russia Legion it’s a gang.
Who is the Russian Volunteer Corps?
The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine says it has nothing to do with the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), an army unit. made in August 2022.
From the US Anti-Defamation League (ADL)which monitors extremists, described the leader of the RVC, Denis Kapustin, also known as Denis Nikitin, as a Russian Nazi soldier “who lived in Germany for many years” and trained young people far from the National Democratic Party of Germany.
It is also called Kapustin he has links to German football gangs.
Speaking to reporters this week, Kapustin described the RVC as a “right-wing, conservative, military, political group,” saying its fight is against Putin and his state apparatus.
The Belgorod invasion was probably not the first. The group said it entered the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus, in March and April.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia installed Kapustin in the desired list in March.
“I think you’ll see us on that side again,” Kapustin he said on Wednesdayintroducing himself to the media is his Battle name “White Rex,” which was also the name of kind of mixed game was founded in 2008.
“Our future goals are the new territories of the Russian Federation, which we will enter. … You have to be a little patient and wait for a few days,” said Kapustin.
Did Ukraine or the US support the intervention?
Ukraine insisted it was not involved in the plot, only saying it involved Russians.
“Ukraine is watching the developments in Russia’s Belgorod region with interest and is studying the situation, but it is not related to it,” he said. he said Advisor to the President of Ukraine Mykhaylo Podolyak.
The White House says so search it is said that US-supplied equipment may be used.
Kapustin told reporters that RVC fighters used vehicles with US-made weapons, and the video was confirmed by Reuters looks behind it.
The Pentagon said it “has not approved the transfer of third-party weapons to military organizations.”
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has completed a whirlwind tour of Europe where he won support for more military action. Britain has promised to help build a deal for Western jets, but has blocked their delivery.