Freedom of Russia Legion says it creates demilitarized zone on Ukraine-Russia border. Belgorod situation overview

At 12:10 a.m., the Legion reported that it "continues to liberate the Belgorod region" and that the Russian army could do nothing to counter a group of patriotic volunteers.

"The Russian Federation has no reserves to respond to military crises - all military personnel are dead, wounded, or in Ukraine. The Russian Federation is completely unprotected. There is panic in the Belgorod region, partly organized evacuation, but most of it is spontaneous flight," Legion of Freedom writes on its Telegram channel

This was reported by the press service of the Freedom of Russia Legion in a comment to Suspilne.

They said that the legion, together with the Russian Volunteer Corps, is creating a demilitarized zone on the border with Russia. From there, according to the legion, the Russians will not be able to shell Ukraine.

"In the future, we are moving towards the liberation of all of Russia from Putin's dictates and the end of the criminal war," the press service said. 

Earlier, the Freedom of Russia Legion announced the liberation of Gora Podol, Belgorod region, on its Telegram channel.

"Gora-Podol has been passed. The Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps have begun an assault on the village of Grayvoron in the Belgorod region," the message says.

Earlier, at 1:54 pm on May 22, the Freedom of Russia Legion announced the liberation of the village of Kozinka, Belgorod region.

Prior to that, the spokesman for the Freedom of Russia Legion, Caesar, posted a statement on his Telegram page that they were "returning home."

"Residents of Russia! We are Russians like you. The only difference is that we no longer wanted to justify the actions of the criminals in power in Russia and took up arms to defend our freedom and yours. Putin's Russia is rotten with corruption, censorship and repression. In Russia, a person's life has a lower value than an official's wallet," the legion emphasised.

The Freedom of Russia Legion added that it is time for Russians to take responsibility for their future.

"Today it is time for everyone to take responsibility for their future. It is time to put an end to the Kremlin's dictatorship. The Freedom of Russia Legion is coming home," the statement reads.

The legion also appealed to residents of the border areas and promised to make the details public soon.

"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. Freedom is near!", the Legion emphasized.

At 07:38 the Freedom of Russia Legion’s Telegram channel reported that they "met the dawn on the liberated territory.”

"Good morning to everyone except Putin's accomplices! We met the dawn on the liberated territory and are advancing," the post reads. 

Reaction of Ukraine

Presidential Office 

Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office, reacted to the events in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation.

"The only driving political force in a totalitarian country of tightened screws is always a guerrilla movement with arms in hand. Ukraine is watching the events in the Belgorod region of Russia with interest and studying the situation, but has nothing to do with it," he wrote.

Podolyak also added that tanks are sold in any Russian military store, and underground partisan groups are still composed of Russian citizens.

Defence Intelligence

The spokesperson for the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, told Suspilne about the details of the incident in Belgorod region.

He noted that the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps are conducting an operation in the Belgorod region to create a "security strip". Its task is to protect Ukrainian civilians. Also, according to Yusov, only Russian citizens are involved in the operation.

"So, today the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Russian Freedom Legion, consisting of citizens of the Russian Federation, have launched an operation to liberate these territories of the Belgorod region from the so-called Putin regime and push back the enemy in order to create a certain security strip to protect the Ukrainian civilian population," the spokesman of the military intelligence said.

Additionally, during the telethon, Andriy Yusov stated that the ongoing events in the Belgorod region can be described as the "internal conflict of the Russian Federation" and a manifestation of the Russian people's struggle against Putin's oppressive regime. 

Yusov states, "Without a doubt, everything happening within the so-called Russian Federation is an internal conflict. The groups involved in the current events, such as the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, consist primarily of Russian citizens. These citizens have now returned to their homeland."

According to him, the legion has received a warm reception and support from the local population, as individuals armed and prepared for combat are willing to fight against Putin's regime.

 "Due to the dictatorial nature of Putin's regime, these individuals believe that they have no other means of legal recourse through courts or peaceful protests. These actions are direct consequences of the full-scale aggression, war, and invasion by Putin's regime and Russia into Ukraine," he stated.

Yusov emphasized that the protest movement is gaining momentum not only in the Belgorod Oblast but also in other regions and territories within the Russian Federation.

Nuclear munitions are being removed from Belgorod region

The spokesperson for the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Andriy Yusov noted during the telethon that the Belgorod-22 facility is currently being urgently moved in Belgorod region.

"This is a nuclear munitions storage facility, which was also evacuated by the Russians from the area, located near Grayvoron," Yusov said.

Reaction of Russian authorities

“Counterterrorist operation”

On the evening of May 22, at 6:04 pm, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced that a "counter-terrorism operation" had been introduced in the region to ensure the safety of citizens. As a result, documents of individuals will be checked in the Belgorod region and the activities of hazardous industries and enterprises that use explosives, radioactive, chemical and biological hazardous substances will be suspended.

On the morning of May 23, Gladkov, has reported on his Telegram channel that residents of the Grayvoron district "should not return home yet". He also added that "the Ministry of Defense, together with the security forces, is clearing the territory."

Gladkov wrote that a woman born in 1941 died "during the evacuation measures," and "the reasons are currently being established."

He also indirectly confirmed that the Russian military and security forces still do not control part of the territory of the Belgorod region.

"There is information that there are two wounded civilians in the settlements where the enemy has entered. So far, the security forces have not been able to reach them. This morning's task is number one. I hope we will be able to evacuate them as soon as possible and bring them to a medical facility. There are no civilian casualties as of today. All necessary actions are being taken by the security forces. We are waiting for the completion of the counterterrorist operation that was announced yesterday," he said.

Later, Gladkov provided updated information about the two wounded civilians.

"The couple was brought to the city hospital No. 2. The woman has shrapnel wounds of the lower extremities, the state of traumatic shock is severe, the man with abdominal wounds is in a moderate state of severity. Now they are in the emergency department under the close supervision of doctors. All necessary medical care is being provided," he wrote.

Earlier, Russian media reported that the deputy head of the administration of the town of Grayvoron was wounded during the shelling of the administrative building. Also, according to their information, two employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were wounded.

At the same time, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, reported three more victims who are currently in hospital with shrapnel wounds. He also said that three private houses were damaged, three private houses were hit, and a shell hit a kindergarten in the village of Zamostye. 

Earlier, at 2:10 pm, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had entered the territory of the Gayvoronsky district. At 11:38 am, he claimed that the region had been under fire from the Ukrainian army since the morning of May 22. Gladkov said that since nine o'clock in the morning "the Grayvoronsky urban district has been under fire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces". According to him, there were no casualties, the air defence system worked.

Part of the shell allegedly fell on the garden of a private household in the village of Antonovka.

According to Gladkov, the village of Kozinka also came under mortar fire. A hay warehouse in the village of Gora-Podol caught fire. In Grayvoron, shells hit the territory of a motor transport company, and in the village of Zamostye, the fence of a private household was damaged.

Later, Gladkov said that an explosive device was allegedly dropped from a UAV near a private house in Novaya Tavolzhanka. And the UAV itself allegedly fell 100 metres from residential buildings.

Later, in a video message, Gladkov said that a "massive information attack" had been launched against the region, aimed at causing panic among the population. He reiterated that there were no casualties as a result of the shelling, and that the calls for evacuation circulating on social media were lies.

Kremlin’s reaction

Around 3:30 pm on May 22, the Kremlin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin had been informed of an alleged attempt by Ukrainian saboteurs to break into the Belgorod region.

What is known about the activities of the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps?

The Freedom of Russia Legion is a Russian legion within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, formed in March 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On May 1, 2022, it became known that cells of this legion began to appear on the territory of Russia.

The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) is another volunteer formation fighting on the side of Ukraine. On March 29, the RVC published a video denying the participation of the Ukrainian forces in the operation in the Bryansk region that took place on March 2, 2023. At the same time, in its video report, the RVC confirmed its involvement in the operation in the region.

On April 6, the RVC stated that it had again infiltrated from Ukraine into Russia, into the Bryansk region, and returned without losses. At the same time, in a commentary to Poligon Media, the volunteer group stated that it had fulfilled its "propaganda tasks": it had talked to the local population and distributed leaflets.