NewsRussian Volunteer Units Contest Moscow's Claims Amid Border Clashes

Russian Volunteer Units Contest Moscow's Claims Amid Border Clashes

DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 24: A view of a fallen Russian soldier's belongings as volunteers of a group called Black Tulip examine personal belongings of Russian soldiers whose bodies were collected on the second anniversary of Russia-Ukraine war in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on February 24, 2024. Black Tulip's aim is to collect Russian bodies to exchange for Ukrainians, since a soldier cannot be declared dead by the state until there is a body. However, the process of extracting the bodies is extremely risky. Like many areas, Krasnopillia is littered with mines as Russia has been using remote mining systems that scatter tiny mines from the air. There have also been several instances of Russian forces booby-trapping bodies and houses before retreating. (Photo by Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 24: A view of a fallen Russian soldier's belongings as volunteers of a group called Black Tulip examine personal belongings of Russian soldiers whose bodies were collected on the second anniversary of Russia-Ukraine war in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on February 24, 2024. Black Tulip's aim is to collect Russian bodies to exchange for Ukrainians, since a soldier cannot be declared dead by the state until there is a body. However, the process of extracting the bodies is extremely risky. Like many areas, Krasnopillia is littered with mines as Russia has been using remote mining systems that scatter tiny mines from the air. There have also been several instances of Russian forces booby-trapping bodies and houses before retreating. (Photo by Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Images source: © GETTY | Anadolu
Wojciech Rodak

17 March 2024 11:55

On Friday, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that it "repelled attacks by Ukrainian forces" in the Kursk and Belgorod oblasts in western Russia. Meanwhile, Russian volunteer units fighting alongside Kyiv labelled this report as "a lie" - they claimed they had not been pushed out of Russia and shared a video showing prisoners.
On Saturday, the Russian Volunteer Corps - one of the Russian units fighting with Ukraine – firmly denied the Russian Ministry of Defence's statement from Friday.
"All statements from the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation about the total destruction of Russian volunteer units are yet another fabrication. The limited military operation in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts is ongoing, and here is the evidence - a new group of prisoners from the Russian army. We once again invite Governor Gladkov to a meeting to hand over the prisoners," the statement from the Russian volunteers on Telegram read.
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On March 12, units from the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion crossed the border into the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts in Russia. The Freedom of Russia Legion then reported that the town of Tiotkino in the Kursk oblast was fully controlled by Russian volunteers, and regular Russian army units were rapidly withdrawing from it.
On Friday, the Ministry of Defence in Moscow announced that this attack had been repelled. On the other side, authorities in the Belgorod oblast reported that one territorial defence soldier died and ten civilians were injured during the conflicts.
It's important to highlight that the details of the clashes remain unclear.
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