Anti-Kremlin guerillas are recruiting in Belgorod region, Ukraine says

Russian guerilla soldiers are in the Belgorod region and are recruiting their supporters there, Ukrainian Military Intelligence (HUR) representative Adriy Yusov reported on Thursday.

Yusov, quoted by the Ukrinform news agency, assessed that the resistance movement in Russia is “gaining momentum.” He relayed that some representatives of the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion are on Russian territory, recruiting new forces.

The scale and geographical scope of their activities are expanding, he added, pointing out that the recent events in the Belgorod region are the most large scale armed resistance to Putin's regime in Russia.

“It is very good that there are people on Russian territory who are ready to fight for the future of their communities, people, for their future, and to fight against an obvious usurper and dictator who not only occupies part of Ukrainian territory… but has also carried out an internal occupation of Russia itself,” Yusov stated.

“People who can fight against the Putin regime have great support on the Russian territory… their actions are gaining momentum I think we can expect a continuation shortly,” he assessed.

Leader of "Freedom for Russia Legion", callsign "Caesar": they encountered no resistance upon entering Belgorod region. Federal Security Bureau, border guards, police - everyone fled, according to him.

If their task had been to reach Belgorod, they would have succeeded,… pic.twitter.com/hJWWmgYlRs

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 24, 2023

Earlier this week, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion said they had crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border and were liberating border towns from the control of the Moscow authorities.

On Wednesday, the Corps’ commander notified that the volunteers had entered 42 kilometers deep into the Belgorod region, adding that the most active phase of operations has already been completed, but the operation is still ongoing.

On Thursday, the Corps announced its re-entry into Russian territory.