The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case under six articles, including a terrorist attack, due to the entry of sabotage groups into the settlements of the Belgorod region, the press service of the department reports.
In addition to the terrorist attack (Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), investigators of the Investigative Committee will investigate cases of encroachment on the lives of law enforcement officers (Article 317 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), attempted murder (Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), deliberate destruction or damage to property (Article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), illegal circulation of weapons and explosives (Articles 222 and 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
According to the investigation, on May 22, 2023, “representatives of the Ukrainian armed formations attacked the Graivoronsky district of the Belgorod region.” The department claims that “residential and administrative buildings, civilian infrastructure facilities were subjected to mortar and artillery shelling.” The UK also reported that “as a result of these criminal acts, several civilians were injured.”
In the Belgorod region, the operation to capture saboteurs who entered the region from the territory of Ukraine continues for the second day. Presumably, these are detachments of the “Russian Volunteer Corps” and the Legion “Freedom of Russia”: on Monday they attacked several villages in the Graivoronsky district and wounded several border guards.
On the night of May 23, unknown drones again attacked the Belgorod region, in Belgorod itself an explosion was heard, presumably in the FSB building.
In the village of Borisovka, Belgorod Region, a drone dropped an explosive device on one of the administrative buildings, the roof was broken, and there were no casualties, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Later, according to him, as a result of a second drone strike in Borisovka, the roof of a private residential household was damaged.
Earlier, the authorities of the Belgorod region introduced a counter-terrorist operation regime in the region, which “establishes special measures and temporary restrictions.” “Starting from checking documents proving their identity with individuals, and ending with the suspension of the activities of hazardous industries and organizations that use explosive, radioactive, chemically and biologically hazardous substances,” Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of the region, explained.
In turn, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak, commenting on the events in the region, declaredthat Ukraine is not directly related to the sabotage group operating in the Belgorod region, but “is following the ongoing events with interest and is studying the situation.” According to him, the only driving force in a totalitarian country “always inevitably becomes a partisan movement with weapons in their hands.” Podolyak added that “underground partisan detachments are still made up of Russian citizens.”
Earlier, Andrei Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, told the Ukrainian channel Suspilne that the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps were indeed conducting an operation in the Belgorod region in order to push back “the enemy in order to create a certain security zone to protect the Ukrainian civilian population”. He stressed that “exclusively citizens of Russia” entered the Belgorod region.
This is at least the second sabotage operation in Russia. In early March, the “Russian Volunteer Corps” took responsibility for the raid in the Bryansk region, during which its fighters occupied the villages of Lyubechane and Sushany for a short time. The governor of the Bryansk region Alexander Bogomaz claimed that two people were killed and one child was injured in the attack.
