ISW: Russian Volunteer Corps, Freedom of Russia Legion continue operation in Belgorod Oblast

Russian authorities ended the “counterterrorism” operation in Belgorod Oblast and claimed to have defeated the all-Russian pro-Ukrainian Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR) in the region on May 23.

“The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) claimed that Western Military District (WMD) Border Guards units defeated the raid and expelled all ‘saboteurs’ from Belgorod Oblast. Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced that the “counterterrorism” operation had ended but called on civilians who evacuated to wait before returning to the border settlements,” Caliber.Az reports, citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russian authorities later announced on May 23 that authorities evacuated 100 civilians from nine border settlements in Belgorod Oblast on May 22 after Gladkov originally denied conducting formal evacuations.

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold an emergency meeting of the Russian Security Council to discuss the Belgorod raid but will instead discuss the situation during the Security Council’s planned May 26 meeting, likely to project confidence about Russian handling of the situation.

Russian forces likely pushed the RDK and LSR forces at least to the Kozinka border settlement and possibly out of Russian territory as of May 23. Kozinka is located approximately 76 km southeast of Sumy City.

Russian sources amplified footage of Russian forces firing on RDK and LSR vehicle positions near the Kozinka border checkpoint overnight and claimed that Russian forces recaptured Kozinka and its border checkpoint in the morning.

Geolocated footage from Russian state media shows damaged and destroyed vehicles at the checkpoint. Some Russian sources claimed that RDK and LSR forces entrenched themselves in the Kozinka church but that preliminary reports suggest Russian forces may have ousted the pro-Ukrainian forces by the evening.

In addition, Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted raids across the Kharkiv-Belgorod border on May 23, but ISW has observed no confirmation that these raids occurred.

Geolocated footage posted on May 23 shows the aftermath of shelling Gora Podol (about 6 km northwest of Kozinka) and Russian infantry conducting patrols between Grayvoron (about 7 km northwest of Kozinka) and Gora Podol, suggesting that RDK and LSR personnel no longer hold or never held positions in the settlement.

It is unclear whether the RDK and LSR captured any villages on May 22 or May 23, however. The LSR claimed that LSR and RDK personnel continued to operate in Belgorod Oblast on May 23, however.  

One military blogger claimed that the Azov Regiment, Kraken Regiment, Territorial Defence, and regular Ukrainian forces all took part in a raid in Bryansk Oblast on May 22, but ISW has still not observed confirmation of this claimed raid. Other Russian sources denied claims that sabotage groups crossed the Kharkiv-Belgorod border.

Russian sources also claimed that Ukrainian forces accumulated reserves less than 10 kilometres from the Kharkiv-Belgorod border and expressed fear about the threat of further raids.

The Russian information space largely hyperfixated on speculated goals for the raids and on the conduct of the Russian response.

Key takeaways

Russian authorities ended the “counterterrorism” operation in Belgorod Oblast and claimed to have defeated the all-Russian pro-Ukrainian Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Freedom of Russia Legion (LSR) in the region on May 23.

Russian forces likely pushed the RDK and LSR forces at least to the Kozinka border settlement and possibly out of Russian territory as of May 23.

Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted raids across the Kharkiv-Belgorod border on May 23, but ISW has observed no confirmation that these raids occurred.

Ukrainian officials stated that the pace of fighting in the Bakhmut direction has decreased amid continued limited Ukrainian counterattacks on Bakhmut’s flanks on May 23.

Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk and along the Svatove-Kreminna line.

Russian forces continued offensive operations on the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line.

Russian forces continued defensive operations in southern Ukraine ahead of the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Pardoned Wagner Group convicts continue to commit crimes in Russia after finishing their military contracts with Wagner.

Zaporizhya Oblast occupation officials announced the start of preliminary voting for the ruling United Russia party.

Detachments of the "Russian Volunteer Corps" (RDK) and the Legion "Freedom of Russia" (LSR) on May 22 organized a raid into the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, and on the same day announced the seizure of military equipment, as well as successful battles with the forces of the FSB.

Then the Russian Federation announced the start of a “counter-terrorist operation” in the Belgorod region and also removed the stored tactical nuclear weapons from warehouses in the Graivoron region from the region. On May 23, the “WHO” regime was already cancelled.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine noted that all the fighters of the "RDK" and "LSR" are citizens of the Russian Federation, and the operation was launched by them to "liberate these territories from the Putin regime" and create a demilitarized zone in the regions of the Russian Federation bordering Ukraine.

On May 23, an RBC-Ukraine source in the Main Intelligence Directorate said that the Russian Federation began to transfer troops from the front in Ukraine to defend the Russian region.

Although the Russian Ministry of Defence announced the alleged destruction of “Ukrainian formations” in the Belgorod region, the LSR fighters themselves denied such reports and announced the destruction of a motorized rifle company of Russians.