Pro-Ukraine fighters attack southern Russia; offer to trade POWs
Pro-Kiev Russian Volunteer Corps and the Legion of Freedom of Russia called on the governor of Belgorod to meet and retrieve captured Russian soldiers.
Fighting is raging in southern Russia after armed groups launched more cross-border attacks from Ukraine, with Moscow saying it has targeted the “terrorists” with artillery fire.
The governor of the besieged Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Sunday clashes broke out again on his side of the border, acknowledging for the first time that pro-Ukrainian forces had taken Russian prisoners of war during raids.
He said he was ready for talks to bring back “our boys” and told the armed groups he would meet them for the exchange.
“A sabotage group came in. There is fighting [the] Novaya Tavolzhanka [border village]Gladkov said. “I hope they will all be destroyed.”
The pro-Kiev Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom Legion of Russia previously called on the governor of Belgorod to meet fighters and bring back captured soldiers.
“The only thing stopping me from negotiating with them is our guys who are in their hands, maybe they’re already dead,” Gladkov said.
Ukraine has recently intensified shelling of Russian settlements on the border, forcing thousands to flee to the regional hub of Belgorod.
The Russian military later claimed it had repelled a “sabotage group of Ukrainian terrorists” trying to cross the border near the settlement.
“The enemy was hit by artillery. The enemy dispersed and retreated,” it said in a statement.
Gladkov asked residents of the Shebekino border area to leave their homes earlier because of the shelling.
‘Sent to the slaughter’
Fighting around Novaya Tavolzhanka follows last month’s dramatic armed incursion from Ukraine, which forced the Russian army to use artillery and airstrikes on its own soil. The border crossing was claimed by anti-Kremlin nationalists.
Earlier, the nationalist groups published a video of them addressing the governor. It purported to show two “prisoners” calling their captors “plain soldiers sent to this war by your leadership.” One appeared to be injured and was on a drip on a hospital bed.
In a video posted to Freedom of Russia’s Telegram channel, a man who identified himself as the commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps said he would hand over the soldiers in exchange for a meeting with Governor Gladkov.
“Today, until 5 p.m., you have the opportunity to communicate without weapons and bring home two Russian civilians, ordinary soldiers whom you and your political leadership sent to the slaughter,” said a statement posted to the video.
Three hours later, Gladkov appeared in a video message agreeing to meet the group if the soldiers were still alive.
“They probably killed them, as hard as it is for me to say. But if they are alive, from 5 to 6 pm – checkpoint Shebekino. I guarantee safety,” Gladkov said.
“The Future of Russia”
Ukraine has consistently denied responsibility for attacks on Russian soil, but presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Sunday that the situation in the border areas “should be seen as Russia’s future”.
Gladkov said on Sunday that Ukrainian troops continued shelling his region overnight after two people were killed the night before and hundreds of children were evacuated from the border.
The attacks on the Belgorod region come as Kiev says it is preparing a major counter-offensive against Russian forces.
In a video published Sunday, the Ukrainian military appeared to be calling on soldiers to remain silent about the plans, saying there will be no announcement about the start of the long-awaited counterattack.