Russian partisans use tanks to move on Russian border towns in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts
Three units comprised of Russian citizens—the Legion of Free Russia, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), and the Siberian Battalion—crossed the border in tanks into Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk oblasts on March 12, kicking off ‘Operation Freedom’ to "liberate RF (the Russian Federation – ed.) from dictatorship," NV reports.
A video appeared on Russian social media showing a rebel tank, likely near the border settlement of Lozova Rudka in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast on March 12. The Legion of Free Russia fighters showed how they crossed the Russian border in the dead of night on March 12, rolling in with heavy armored vehicles, including tanks.
Read also: Russian Volunteer Corps in clashes Belgorod Oblast, call for negotiations with governor
Fighters from the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion have kicked off a joint operation and have moved into the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts, reported former Russian MP and opposition activist Ilya Ponomarev on Facebook on March 12.
In addition to the actions in Lozova Rudka, there is an ongoing firefight in Tyotkino, Kursk Oblast, Ponomarev said.
The Freedom of Russia Legion declared their mission to liberate Russia from dictator Vladimir Putin. In a video message, the Legion stated they are "heading to the polls."
Read also: Pro-Kyiv Russian fighters ‘at home’ in Russia after seizing border village, top Ukrainian spy says
"We're marching to free you [Russian population] from misery, poverty, and dictatorship," the Legion declared. The rebels emphasized their dream of a Russia freed from Putin's dictatorship, vowing to "make every effort to turn these dreams into reality."
These events follow one of the largest overnight drone attacks on Russian regions: on the night of March 12, drones struck nine Russian regions, igniting fires at oil depots in Orel and Nizhny Novgorod.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) attempted to refute the raid in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts and spun tales of "destroying" six tanks, dozens of armored vehicles, and Caesar SPGs.
“Information about the incursion into certain border settlements in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts by Ukrainian armed formations does not correspond to reality," the FSB claimed.
At the same time, the FSB acknowledged that "attempts to penetrate" into these Russian regions have been ongoing since March 10, and that Russian forces have supposedly eliminated "over 100 enemy personnel, six tanks, a Caesar SPG, 20 units of combat armored vehicles, and a stronghold" during this time.
"Since morning, there's been shelling in the settlement of Tyotkino in the Glushkovsky district,” Kursk Oblast Governor, Roman Starovoyt, claimed on March 12.
“There was an attempt by a sabotage-reconnaissance group to break through; a gunfight ensued, but there was no breakthrough," he claimed.
Read also: Freedom of Russia Legion claims successful raid on Belgorod Oblast
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