An “anti-terrorist” regime imposed in Russia’s Belgorod region on Monday following a raid by armed militants in Ukraine was lifted on Tuesday after Moscow said it had eliminated the group, the region’s governor said, Reuters and AFP reported. However, images on social media appear to belie the “elimination” of “terrorists” and the leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps says the operation is ongoing.

“A decision was made to cancel the legal regime for the anti-terrorist operation on the territory of the Belgorod region,” Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote in Telegram. This measure, in particular, expanded the powers of the security forces.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Russia announced the completion of the “anti-terrorist operation” and the elimination of all “saboteurs” who attacked the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine on Monday.

“Nationalist armed formations were surrounded and liquidated. More than 70 Ukrainian terrorists have been eliminated,” said Ihor Konashenkov, the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense.

However, journalist Christopher Miller, a correspondent for the Financial Times, wrote on Tuesday that he spoke with the leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps, Denis Nikitin, one of the guerrilla groups believed to be involved in the Belgorod invasion along with members of the Russian Legion of Freedom. , and that he was in – a good mood.

“I just spoke to the head of operations, who was in a pretty good mood. It didn’t look like 70 of his fighters were knocked out. He actually said the operation is not over yet,” Miller wrote on Twitter.

A few hours ago, pro-Ukrainian military channels released images and information that ethnic Russian militants operating in the Russian border towns of Graivoron, Kozinka and Borysivka are building military fortifications to fight against Russian government forces sent from Moscow, Kyiv Post reports.

Photos of members of the Russian volunteer corps continue to appear on social networks.

The military blog MilitaryLand.net published a video showing soldiers of the Russian Volunteer Corps driving armored vehicles at the Graivoron border in Belgorod.

uD83CuDFA5BTR and members of the Russian volunteer corps passing through the Graivoron checkpoint, #Belhorod region pic.twitter.com/EV7uJDPOSt

— MilitaryLand.net (@Militarylandnet) May 23, 2023

Videos released online by one of the Russian “guerrilla” groups that launched a cross-border raid from Ukraine into Russia’s Belgorod region show that the raid involved US-made military equipment, including Humvee multipurpose vehicles and other types. be International Maxxpro 1224 mine-resistant vehicles.

Cross-border raid by pro-Ukrainian Russians

Russia is facing increasing threats on its border with Ukraine, with the worst recent incident being an incursion by an anti-regime group that launched an “anti-terrorist operation” in Russia’s Belgorod region, British intelligence said on Tuesday morning.

On May 22, the Volunteer Corps of the Russian Federation and the Russian Legion of Freedom announced that they had crossed the border and were “liberating” the settlements of the Belgorod region from the current Russian authorities: they started with the villages of Kozinka and Hora-Podol, but they want the “liberation” of all of Russia.

The governor of the Belgorod region of Russia, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced late on Monday that most of the residents of the Graivoron district had left their homes.

During a raid by pro-Ukrainian Russian units across the border in the Belgorod region at the “Grayvoron” checkpoint, a BTR-82A wheeled armored personnel carrier was captured, reports Ukrainian weapons tracker.