2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions

2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions
Part of attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Reported extent of territorial control during the raids
DateFirst raid: 22–23 May 2023
(1 day)
Second raid: 1–15 June 2023
(2 weeks)
Sporadic incursions: 17 June – 17 December 2023 (6 months)
Location
Grayvoronsky and Shebekinsky districts, Belgorod Oblast, Russia
50°29′N 35°40′E / 50.483°N 35.667°E / 50.483; 35.667
Result

First raid: Inconclusive

  • Pro-Ukrainian forces withdraw from Russian territory

Second raid: Inconclusive

  • Pro-government sources claim anti-government forces removed from oblast on June 15, anti-government forces continue to shell the oblast
Belligerents
Russian opposition
Belarusian militant groups
Polish militant groups
Chechen militant groups
 Ukraine (alleged by Russia, denied by Ukraine)[a]

 Russia

Commanders and leaders
Maximilian Andronnikov
Denis Kapustin
Daniil "Puck" Maznik †[1]		 Russia Aleksandr Lapin[2]
Russia Andrey Stesev †[3]
Units involved

Freedom of Russia Legion
Russian Volunteer Corps
Polish Volunteer Corps[4][5]
After June 2023:
Belarusian Volunteer Corps[6]

Separate Special Purpose Battalion[7][8]

Russian Armed Forces
Federal Security Service

Police of Russia

National Guard
Strength
~80–500 fighters[9]
1+ tank(s)[10][11]
3+ armoured vehicles[12][13]		 Multiple helicopters[14]
Casualties and losses
Per Russia:
100+ killed
1 unmanned aerial vehicle shot down[15]
4 armoured fighting vehicles destroyed
5 pickup trucks destroyed
Per FRL/RVC:
2 killed, 10 wounded
1 killed, 2 wounded		 Per Russia:
14+ servicemen killed[16]
Per RVC:
several personnel captured in May[17]
1 border guard killed[18]
1 armoured personnel vehicle captured
12+ personnel captured in June
Per Russia: 13 civilians killed
50 civilians wounded
Thousands of civilians evacuated

On 22 May 2023, armed groups from Ukraine carried out a cross-border raid[19][20] into Belgorod Oblast, Russia.[21][22][23] Two Russian rebel groups allied with and based in Ukraine—the Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC)—claimed to have taken control of several border settlements, and clashed with Russian government forces.[24][25] The Polish Volunteer Corps participated in the raid.[4][5] Russian authorities said the attacks were conducted by a Ukrainian "sabotage group",[21] and imposed counter-terrorism measures in the region.[26] It was the largest cross-border attack during the war since the initial beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.[11][27]

On 1 June, another incursion began near the town of Shebekino, with the RVC announcing that the promised "second phase" of the fighting had begun.[28] This time, the Belarusian volunteer Terror Battalion participated in the raid.[6] A spokesman for the Freedom of Russia Legion said their goals were to draw Russian troops away from other parts of the front, and to encourage rebellion against the Russian government. On 12 March 2024, Russian rebels launched another major cross-border operation in Belgorod and Kursk Oblasts.[29]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Russian Volunteer Corps announces death of Daniil Maznik, who led assault on Novaya Tavolzhanka". global.espreso.tv. 9 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Операцию по зачистке Белгородской области от диверсантов проводит генерал Лапин". global.espreso.tv. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion said they killed a colonel of Russian Armed Forces in Belgorod Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda. Yahoo!. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Angriffe in der Region Belgorod: Auch polnische Kämpfer auf russischem Gebiet". eXXpress (in German). 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Polscy najemnicy walczyli w obwodzie biełgorodzkim. "Dla naszego oddziału był to zaszczyt"" (in Polish). Polsat News. 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Здаецца, у Белгарадскай вобласці пабывалі беларускія добраахвотнікі" (in Belarusian). European Radio for Belarus. 3 June 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Воюющие за Украину чеченские бойцы не встретили сопротивления в Белгородской области – ее охраняют кадыровцы" (in Russian). 18 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Ичкерийские отряды на Украине" (in Russian). 18 August 2023.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference repel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Barnes, Joe; Vasilyeva, Nataliya (22 May 2023). "Pro-Ukrainian fighters launch cross-border tank raid to 'capture' Russian villages". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SabotageDW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Roth, Andrew (22 May 2023). "Anti-Putin militia claims to have overrun Russian border village". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Pro-Ukrainian Russian partisans advance into Russia's Belgorod region in surprise raid". Yahoo! News. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  14. ^ Gregory, James (22 May 2023). "Ukraine war: Russia battles armed group in border region". BBC. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  15. ^ Butenko, Victoria; Chernova, Anna (22 May 2023). "Russia accuses Ukraine of mounting 'sabotage' attack across border". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Kremlin looks to reassert Putin's authority after Wagner rebellion. Here's what else you should know". CNN. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023. At least 14 servicemen from the Pskov region in Russia were killed in early June during an incursion in the Belgorod region, according to Pskov Gov. Mikhail Vedernikov.
  17. ^ Polityuk, Pavel (23 May 2023). "Fighting in Russian region enters second day after raid from Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023 – via www.reuters.com.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference ISW22May was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference RVC statement BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Smith, Patrick (25 May 2023). "Pro-Ukraine border raid exposes Russian defenses and divisions". NBC News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Russia Says Air Force, Artillery Wipe Out Border Attackers". The Moscow Times. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Governor claims explosions in Russia's Belgorod Oblast". Kyiv Independent. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Freedom of Russia Legion says they are creating a "demilitarised zone" in Russia". Ukrainska Pravda. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  24. ^ Mazurenko, Alona (22 May 2023). "Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion report liberation of two settlements in Belgorod Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  25. ^ Liffey, Kevin, ed. (22 May 2023). "Russian regional governor says Ukrainian 'sabotage group' crossed border". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Russia's Belgorod region imposes counterterrorism restrictions in response to incursion by pro-Ukrainian groups". Meduza. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  27. ^ Bouvier, Pierre (25 May 2023). "The two Russian armed groups behind Belgorod raid have one goal: Putin's downfall". Le Monde. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Russia thwarts more Belgorod attacks, blames Ukraine". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  29. ^ "Российские «военкоры» сообщили об атаке вооруженных групп на приграничные районы Белгородской и Курской областей Легион «Свобода России» утверждает, что это его бойцы «пересекли границу». ФСБ и Минобороны РФ это отрицают". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 12 March 2024.