Russian Volunteer Corps in clashes Belgorod Oblast, call for negotiations with governor

4 June 2023, 08:42 PM

Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) fighters announced that they were engaged in battles near Shebekino, Belgorod Oblast in Russia, the group said in a Telegram statement on June 4.

“Once again in our homeland! The advance assault groups of the RDK and the Freedom of Russia Legion are entering the combat zone in the outskirts of Shebekino,” the statement read.

The volunteers specifically reached out to Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov with an offer to return captured Russian soldiers as a goodwill gesture. In return, they asked for a private audience with the governor to discuss the present state of the region and, crucially, the future of Russia as a whole.

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“We invite you to engage in dialogue within the walls of the temple in Novaya Tavolzhanka,” the statement concluded.

Russian Volunteer Corps fighters announced their latest raid in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast on June 1.

The Freedom of Russia Legion announced on May 22 that, together with the Russian Volunteer Corps, it had “completely liberated” the village of Kozinka in Belgorod Oblast, passed the village of Gora-Podol, and began storming Grayvoron.

Local authorities declared a “counterterrorist operation” and, according to the governor, had most residents of Grayvoron evacuated.

The Russians claimed that they had killed most of the saboteurs and “pushed the rest back” to the territory of Ukraine. RDK and Legion fighters denied the losses.

The RDK and Legion reported that they had advanced 42 kilometers into Russia and controlled some settlements in Belgorod Oblast for a day. They claimed to have lost two people in action, with ten others wounded.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine called the actions of the Legion and the RDK in Belgorod Oblast of Russia “the establishment of a security strip” to protect Ukrainians.

Andriy Yusov emphasized that the raid in the Russian region was carried out exclusively by Legion and RDK fighters, who are Russian citizens.

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