Her ruler Russian of the Belgorod region reported today that battles with a “Ukrainian sabotage group” were going on in the city of Novaya Tavolzhanka, not far from the border with Ukraineand added that he was ready to meet with a group of pro-Ukrainian Russian militants who had captured two Russian soldiers.

Earlier today, these pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters, who took part in recent raids in the Belgorod region bordering Russia, said they had captured two Russian soldiers and were offering to exchange them for a meeting with the region’s governor.

The Russian Legion of Freedom and the Russian Volunteer Corps have reported in recent days that they are fighting in the area, while Reuters notes that it was unable to confirm these reports from independent sources.

In a video on the Russian Legion of Freedom Telegram channel, a man posing as the commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps says that he will hand over two captives to Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov if the latter meets militants in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka beforehand. 17:00 (local time and Greek time).

The video shows two captives, one of whom appears to be injured and on the operating table.

“Today, until 17:00, you have the opportunity to communicate without weapons and pick up two Russian citizens, ordinary soldiers, whom you and your political leadership send to be slaughtered,” the message posted under the video reads.

Not so long ago, Gladkov said: “Most likely, they were killed, no matter how cruel it was. But if they are alive, then from 5-6 pm. – Checkpoint Sebekino. I guarantee safety.”

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters, AFP.}