Battles on the border and liberation of settlements: "counter-terrorist operation" regime introduced in the Belgorod region (video)
Soldiers of the 'Russian Volunteer Corps' fighting on the side of Ukraine reported that they are in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation today, May 22. Together with the fighters, members of the Freedom of Russia legion also entered the territory of Russia.
According to preliminary data, the volunteers managed to take control of the village of Kozynka. This was reported by the press service of the legion, the corps and a number of Russian local Telegram channels.
At 18:04, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced the introduction of a "counter-terrorist operation" regime. It provides for "special measures and temporary restrictions".
Gladkov added that during the CTO, the authorities may check the documents of individuals, as well as suspend the activities of hazardous industries and organisations that use explosives, radioactive, chemical and biological hazardous substances.
In the morning, the volunteers posted a video against the backdrop of road signs showing the beginning of the settlements of Lyubimovka (Bryansk region), Bezlyudovka (Belgorod region), and Churovichi (Bryansk region). A little later, the Legion published an appeal to residents of the Russian border regions.
Read also: First video of Ukrainian armed forces strike on military targets in Russia appears
"Stay at home, do not resist and do not be afraid: we are not your enemies. Unlike Putin's zombies, we do not touch civilians and do not use them for our own purposes," the military said.
The Legion then announced the liberation of a settlement in the Belgorod region. It said that Freedom of Russia and the RVC were "moving on" towards Gayvoron, where advanced units had already entered.
In turn, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that a 'sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' had allegedly entered the territory of the Graivoronsky district.
Since early morning, videos from residents of Belgorod Oblast have been circulating online, recording the sounds of a siren. There were also reports of alleged rocket attacks. At a meeting of the Belgorod regional authorities, they spoke of "disturbing news from the military unit".
In turn, Putin's spokesman Peskov said that the Ministry of Defence, the FSB and the Border Guard Service had reported to the Russian president about "an attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage group to break through" into the Belgorod region.
"Work is underway to squeeze them out of Russian territory and destroy this subversive group. We have enough forces and means on the ground," Peskov said.
On May 20, the founder of the Wagner PMC, Prigozhin, said that his militants had managed to capture Bakhmut. The Ukrainian military leadership denied this information.
On May 21, during a meeting with US President Joe Biden, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answered the question of whether Wagner's men had taken Bakhmut in a short answer: "No".
On May 21, US President Joe Biden confirmed the significant losses suffered by the Russians in their attempt to capture Bakhmut. He called the figure of 100,000 quite true.
If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!