On the night of March 12, fighters from the "Freedom of Russia" legion, the "Russian Volunteer Corps," and the "Siberian Battalion" reported that they had crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border and entered several border regions of Russia. The military volunteers published a corresponding video of their presence in the Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia. What is happening currently is unknown, but according to the leader of the political wing of "Freedom of Russia," I. Ponomarev, the volunteers "as part of a joint operation" have taken control of the border village of Lozova Rudka in the Belgorod region, while a firefight is ongoing in Tyotkino in the Kursk region. Russian Telegram channels report explosions and fires at the occupiers' oil depots in the Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions, and Russian war correspondents insist on attempts by "Ukrainian sabotage groups" to breach the border, writes the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Commenting on the event, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, A. Yushov, noted that, presumably, a "joint operation of Russian volunteer battalions is currently taking place on the territory of so-called Russia."
"They (the 'Freedom of Russia' legion, the 'Russian Volunteer Corps,' and the 'Siberian Battalion') act absolutely autonomously, independently, and carry out their socio-political programmatic tasks. Ultimately, these are not the first similar actions of these structures and organizations on the territory of the so-called Russian Federation. After all, they are, ultimately, at home," said the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate.
By the way, in May 2023, volunteers conducted raids in the Belgorod region, the purpose of which was "to create a demilitarized zone between Russia and Ukraine, to destroy the forces serving the Putin regime. These goals were successfully achieved." Fighters claim that during the mission on May 22, they managed to destroy a group of FSB officers who retreated, and a motorized rifle company of the Russian army was also defeated.
It is worth reminding that the "Freedom of Russia" legion, the "Russian Volunteer Corps," and the "Siberian Battalion" are military units formed on the territory of Ukraine, consisting of former Russian servicemen and Russian volunteers who disagree with Putin's policies and aim to "fight for a new Russia." The formations are armed with tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, mortars, small arms, anti-tank missile systems, drones, MANPADS, and more.
What's Behind the Latest Raid by Russian Volunteer Battalions into Russian Territory?
Firstly, by their action, they confirmed the presence of a force in Russia capable of overthrowing the Putin regime. "As promised, we bring freedom and justice to our Russian land," said the statement from the "Siberian Battalion" in a Telegram channel.
"We previously said that peacefully overthrowing the criminal dictatorial regime in Russia wouldn't work. It can only be removed with arms in hand. Tonight, we began fulfilling that promise. Fierce battles are ongoing in the territory of Russia," they added.
Similar actions against the backdrop of effective attacks by Ukrainian drones in the Kursk, Tula, Bryansk, Moscow, Leningrad, Oryol, Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, and Voronezh regions of the Russian Federation have already sparked panic among the governors of these regions and once again proved to Russians that the war has definitively spilled over into Russian territory, and the Russian army is unable to protect them wherever they may be. Furthermore, Russian volunteers claim that they faced no resistance when crossing the border and entering Russian territory. However, more and more Russians associate all the troubles of the past two years with Putin's short-sighted policies, who unleashed an aggressive war against Ukraine, and they understand the calls of Russian volunteers to "do everything to make Putin move from Novo-Ogaryovo to the 'Polar Wolf'" (a high-security corrective labor colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where Alexei Navalny was imprisoned before his "sudden" death).
Secondly, the raid became unwelcome news for Putin himself on the eve of the presidential elections, the results of which have already been predetermined by Kremlin political technologists. "The legion is going to the elections to free you from the dictatorship, from the terrorist organization that seized power," the volunteers' message to their fellow citizens recorded at the border says.
As stated in a video address by Iliya Ponomarev, "just like all our fellow citizens, in the legion, we dream of a Russia liberated from Putin's dictatorship. But we're not just dreaming; we're making every effort to realize these dreams. We will reclaim our land inch by inch from the regime. Russians will live peacefully, without fearing a knock on the door, they'll speak their minds without fear, vote for whoever they want, not who they're supposed to."
The fighters of the "Siberian Battalion" call on people to join "all liberation forces" and urge the people of Russia to ignore the "elections," as "ballots and polling stations in this case are a fiction," and "everyone who does not accept a miserable life in tyranny must make the right choice." It is characteristic that the volunteers conduct their campaign as an independent force and as citizens of Russia who have every right to change life in their country for the better.
Thirdly, according to former platoon commander of the "Aidar" battalion and veteran of the Russo-Ukrainian war, Ðумрут Dykyi, the volunteers' operation is, among other things, an attempt to draw part of the Russian forces away from Ukrainian territory towards the Kursk region.
Therefore, the development of events makes the Kremlin nervous because Russian voters finally see in Russian volunteers a real force capable of changing the situation in the country and preventing Putin from becoming president again. It's no coincidence that the message to the Russians emphasizes that "we are not going to kill, erase, destroy, or punish. We are going to liberate you from poverty, hardship, and fear. To free you from the dictatorship of a terrorist organization that seized power." As a legion fighter insists, the bloody war against Ukraine has claimed the lives and health of over 400,000 Russian men, led to economic stagnation, and complete global isolation. To stay in power and rule until his death, Putin eliminates political competitors, while his entourage builds palaces in Gelendzhik and Novo-Ogaryovo - that's why volunteer units are trying not to allow the bloody dictator to remain in the Kremlin for another term.
Thus, regardless of how the breakthrough by the volunteers across the Russian border ends, it's evident that the Putin regime is a "colossus on clay feet," sustained solely through the intimidation of Russians and the destruction of political opponents, and sooner or later will be changed by indifferent Russians through force.
