The "Freedom of Russia" Legion, which together with the "Russian Volunteer Corps" conducted a raid in the Belgorod region, named the purpose of the combat mission.
"The goal of the peacekeeping operation in the Belgorod region was to create a demilitarized region between Russia and Ukraine, to destroy the security forces that serve the Putin regime, and to demonstrate to the people of Russia that it is possible to create resistance centers and successfully fight against the Putin regime. These goals were successfully achieved," said the "Freedom of Russia" legion.
They also said that during the combat clashes on May 22, they managed to defeat the FSB forces, "who retreated in panic", then units of the Russian army arrived on the scene and tried to carry out a counteroffensive. The Legion announced that on May 23 it destroyed a motorized rifle company of the Russian army.
In turn, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation does not comment on the situation, but publishes "footage from the place of liquidation of the reconnaissance group in the Belgorod region."
Then the "Russian Volunteer Corps" stated that it had not suffered losses in the battles in the Belgorod region and did not know which convoys of destroyed equipment were reported to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Regarding the photos with the bodies of people in the uniform of the Armed Forces, which are published by propagandists, the RVC emphasizes that they are wearing a multicam, not a pixel.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation assured that the Russian volunteer units in the Belgorod region were "blocked and defeated." Allegedly, more than 70 soldiers, four armored vehicles and five pickup trucks were destroyed.
- On the morning of May 22, the "Russian Volunteer Corps" and the Legion "Freedom of Russia" announced that they had entered the territory of Russia and were carrying out combat missions there. RVC has published several videos in which you can see fighters against the background of road signs of Lyubimovka, Bezlyudovka, Churovichy settlements of Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
- After that, videos of shelling, presumably of the "Grayvoron" checkpoint, as well as fighters with equipment, began to appear on social networks. The video also captured the operation of military helicopters and at least one tank with the flag of Ukraine. The main clashes unfolded in the Belgorod region.
- RVC and the legion reported on the "liberation" of the border villages of Kozinka, Podil Gora and the battles for the city of Graivoron.
- Ukrainian intelligence has stated that the offensive in the region is carried out exclusively by the fighters of the Legion and RVC — that is, Russian citizens. They are vacating their territory and creating a "security zone" to protect Ukrainian civilians from shelling.