2023 Bryansk Oblast raid

On 2 March 2023, the Russian authorities said that an armed Ukrainian group crossed the border and attacked the villages of Lyubechane and Sushany, in Bryansk Oblast. Russia said the attackers fired on a car, killing two civilians, before the Federal Security Service forced them back into Ukraine. The raid[2][3] was claimed by the Russian Volunteer Corps; a paramilitary group of Russian citizens, based in Ukraine, which opposes the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin.[lower-alpha 2] Russia called the incident a terrorist attack, and said its 9 March missile strikes on Ukraine were retaliation. Ukraine's government denied involvement; it said the incident could have been a false-flag attack by Russia to justify its ongoing war against Ukraine, or else an attack by anti-government partisans from within Russia.

2023 Bryansk Oblast raid
Part of the 2022–23 Western Russia attacks and 2022 Belarusian and Russian partisan movement
Russian Volunteer Corps units in Sushany
LocationLyubechane and Sushany, Bryansk Oblast
Date2 March 2023
Timing of Russian reports:
11:30–14:30 (MSK, UTC+3)
Attack type
Asymmetric engagement
Subversion
Deaths2 (per Russia)[lower-alpha 1]
Injured2 (per Russia)[lower-alpha 1]
Perpetrators Russian Volunteer Corps
 Ukraine (per Russia)

Background
This paragraph is an excerpt from Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[edit]
Several attacks in Russia, primarily in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, were reported since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. Russia accused Ukraine of being responsible for these attacks. Ukraine did not claim responsibility for most of the attacks and had formally denied being behind some of them.

In early February 2023, Bryansk Oblast authorities claimed that they have been strengthening the border with Ukraine. The Governor of Bryansk Oblast Alexander Bogomaz posted photos from a meeting with "commanders of the group protecting the border" on his Telegram channel, and stated that "the work done on the construction of protective structures and strongpoints was highly appreciated by the command of the Russian Armed Forces."[5]

Raid

Initial Russian reports

On 2 March 2023, at around 11:30 MSK, Bogomaz reported that a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group made an incursion into Russian territory, entering the village of Lyubechane, Klimovsky District. According to him, the saboteurs fired at a moving car, killing one adult and leaving one child injured.[6] It was reported that the passenger car transported children to a class.[7] Subsequent to this initial report, TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source, that the group had penetrated into two villages, Lubechane and Sushany, and took several residents hostage.[7] According to RFE/RL, a Russian Telegram channel posting local news reported that residents in the area heard explosions and gunfire.[8]

According to TASS, "members of the Rosgvardia entered into a clash with the militants".[7] At 14:30, TASS, citing eyewitnesses, wrote that the "Ukrainian saboteurs" had ceased showing signs of activity and may have left Russian territory. "There is no one from the Ukrainian group on the territory of the Russian Federation, they all left. Now there is a search, possibly, for the remaining fighters of the VSU on our territory", said one of the agency's sources.[7]

Official Russian account

The Russian government said that a Ukrainian sabotage group entered the Russian village of Lyubechane and fired on civilians in a car.[9] The Governor of Bryansk Oblast, Alexander Bogomaz, said two civilians were killed and an 11-year-old boy was wounded.[9][8]

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it acted together with the Russian military to "eliminate armed Ukrainian nationalists who violated the state border".[2] It later said that the attackers had been pushed back into Ukraine "where a massive artillery strike was inflicted on them".[2] According to FSB, a large number of explosive devices had been found and demining was underway. The FSB did not mention the earlier report about a hostage-taking.[9]

Claim of responsibility
Further information: Russian Volunteer Corps

Responsibility for the raid was claimed by the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK; Russian: Русский добровольческий корпус, romanized: Russkiy dobrovol'cheskiy korpus), an armed group of far-right[10][4] anti-government Russian nationalists[11] fighting for Ukraine.[lower-alpha 3][12][10][lower-alpha 2]

Two videos posted online on 2 March show armed men in combat gear calling themselves the Russian Volunteer Corps. They say they crossed the border to fight "the bloody Putinite and Kremlin regime". Describing themselves as Russian "liberators", they called upon citizens to revolt against the government, and denied firing on civilians.[9] One of the videos seems to have been filmed outside Lyubechane medical clinic.[13] According to an analysis by the American think tank Institute for the Study of War, social media users geolocated one of the two videos to Sushany.[14]

RDK's leader Denis Kapustin said that the aim was to expose how weakly guarded Russia's border areas are and to inspire armed opposition against "Kremlin usurpers".[15] According to him, the 45-strong attacking force included anti-government insurgents based in Russia,[15] and acted with Ukraine's backing.[11] On the day of the raid, Russian investigative journalism website iStories published an RDK member's account of the event; he said: "There were 45 of us on that mission. We went in, filmed, ambushed two BMPs. I didn't see any children injured. But there was one injured border guard. No hostages were taken."[16]

Aftermath

Reactions

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, said in a televised address that Ukrainian neo-Nazi "terrorists" crossed the border and targeted civilians. Putin said the attack confirmed that Russia did the right thing by invading Ukraine.[2] "They won't achieve anything. We will crush them," Putin said, claiming the group consisted of people who wanted to strip Russia of its history and language.[9][17] Russia officially treats the event as an act of terrorism, and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has initiated a terrorism probe.[18]

The Ukrainian government and military denied carrying out a cross-border raid,[2] and suggested Russia could use the allegations to justify further attacks on Ukraine.[2] Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine, wrote on Twitter: "The story of a Ukrainian sabotage group in the Russian Federation is a classic deliberate provocation". He said Russia "wants to scare its people to justify attacking another country and growing poverty after a year of war."[9] He told the Associated Press: "This was done by the Russians; Ukraine has nothing to do with it".[2] Podolyak suggested the attack could have been carried out by an anti-government group within Russia, saying: "The partisan movement in the Russian Federation is getting stronger and more aggressive".[19]

According to a report by The New York Times, "Ukraine intelligence officials have tried to portray the incident as evidence of Russian divisions"; Andriy Cherniak, a representative of the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) was cited as saying: "This is a sign that Russia can no longer function normally and this leads to internal destruction".[12] Separately, he noted that the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility, and indicated that Ukraine was not involved.[19] Andriy Yusov, another GUR representative, suggested that the composition of the armed group was a sign of an internal struggle within Russia,[9] and characterized the event as a "confrontation within the Russian Federation itself between the citizens of the Russian Federation".[20]

Russian "retaliatory attack"

On 9 March Russia attacked Ukraine with an estimated 81 missiles.[21] The Ukrainian military said 34 missiles were shot down, a lower than usual rate due to Russia shifting to new technologies.[22] Russia claimed it carried out a "massive retaliatory strike" as payback. Russia's attack included an unprecedented six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Kyiv, Odesa and Kharkiv regions were hit, leaving 40% of civilians in Kyiv without heat, and electricity outages in Odesa. At least five people were killed by the strikes in Zolochiv, Lviv region and one civilian was killed in Dnipro region. The attack again damaged electricity supplies to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, forcing it onto emergency diesel generators. Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA said "Each time we are rolling a dice. And if we allow this to continue time after time then one day our luck will run out".[23]

Other later events

On 9 March, a video was released of some hooded and armed fighters claiming to be against "the regime of Putin" and inciting people to join them in front of the entrance sign to the village of Plekhovo, in Kursk Oblast, Russia.[24]

In late May, RVC, and other rebel groups allied with Ukraine began making more sizable incursions into Belgorod Oblast, Russia.[25][26][27]

Notes
  1. Novaya Gazeta Europe (Russian version): "According to TASS, the "saboteurs" attacked two villages, Lubechane and Sushany. As a result, two civilians were killed and two were injured."[1]
  2. In the immediate aftermath, Ukrainian officials have said that the group is independent.[4]
  3. Novaya Gazeta Europe: "The neo-Nazi movement Russian Volunteer Corps, a unit of Russian military volunteers fighting for Ukraine, claimed responsibility for the attack."[1]

References
  2. Blann, Susie (2 March 2023). "Kremlin accuses Ukrainian saboteurs of attack inside Russia". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  3. Vasilyeva, Nataliya (2 March 2023). "Fringe Russian fighters claim responsibility for raid on border villages". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. Dixon, Robyn; Ebel, Francesca; Ilyushina, Mary (2023-03-02). "Kremlin accuses Ukraine of violent attack in western Russia". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-04. The Anti-Defamation League describes [Denis Nikitin] as a "neo-Nazi" who lived in Germany for many years.
  5. "Рейд "диверсантов" в Брянскую область. Кто и зачем его устроил и другие вопросы (на некоторые из которых пока нет ответов)" [The raid of "saboteurs" in the Bryansk region. Who arranged it and why, and other questions (some of which are still unanswered)]. BBC News Russian (in Russian). 2023-03-03. Archived from the original on 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  6. "Губернатор Брянской области сообщил о проникновении украинской диверсионной группы на территорию региона" [Governor of Bryansk Oblast reported the incursion of a Ukrainian sabotage group into the region's territory]. Novaya Gazeta Europe (in Russian). 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02. transl. "The saboteurs fired at a moving vehicle. As a result of the shooting, one resident was killed and a ten-year-old child was wounded," the governor wrote."
  7. "Российские власти сообщили о проникновении "украинских диверсантов" в Брянскую область. Главное – Путин назвал произошедшее терактом, ответственность на себя взял "Русский добровольческий корпус"" [Russian authorities reported an incursion of "Ukrainian saboteurs" into the Bryansk Oblast. Key information—Putin called the incident an act of terrorism, the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility]. Novaya Gazeta Europe (in Russian). 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02. transl. Some Telegram channels, in particular SHOT, first reported that a group of saboteurs attacked a "school bus," but it soon became clear that the vehicle in question was a car in which the children were taken to class.
  8. ""Русский добровольческий корпус" заявил, что вошёл в село на Брянщине" [Russian Volunteer Corps said that they entered a village in the Bryansk Oblast]. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (in Russian). 2023-03-02. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  9. Osborn, Andrew; Trevelyan, Mark; Trevelyan, Mark (2023-03-02). "Putin says Ukrainian group attacks border region, Kyiv denies Russian 'provocation'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  10. Ihler, Bjørn, ed. (2022-09-30). "Russian Volunteer Corps: Denis "WhiteRex" Kapustin is Back in Business". Antifascist Europe. Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02. The Russian Volunteer Corps is the first attempt by Russian neo-Nazis to unite in a political-military alliance abroad since the failed Russian Center.
  11. Taylor, Adam (2023-03-09). "Analysis | Nord Stream intrigue raises tricky questions for Kyiv". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-12. The attacks in Bryansk, meanwhile, were quickly claimed by fighters who said they were members of a far-right Russian anti-Putin nationalist group
    [...]
    Kapustin told the Financial Times that a recent cross-border raid he'd conducted from Ukraine into Russia had the endorsement of Kyiv.
  12. Kurmanaev, Anatoly; Santora, Marc (2023-03-02). "Russian partisans with ties to Ukraine say they briefly took control of a village in Russia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-03-02. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  13. Asami Terajima (3 March 2023). "Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian military admits withdrawal from Bakhmut on the table, but only if 'absolutely necessary'". The Kyiv Independent. Wikidata Q116962180., accessed 3 March 2023
  14. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 2, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. 2023-03-02. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  15. Seddon, Max; Miller, Christopher; Stognei, Anastasia (2023-03-03). "Russian far-right fighter claims border stunt exposes Putin's weakness". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  16. Dolinina, Irina (2023-03-02). "Боец "Русского добровольческого корпуса" подтвердил "Важным историям", что РДК заходили на территорию Брянской области" [Fighter of the Russian Volunteer Corps confirmed to Vazhnyye Istorii that RVC had entered the Bryansk Oblast]. iStories (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  17. Simmons, Ann M.; Coles, Isabel (2023-03-02). "Russia Blames Ukrainians for Alleged Attack on Its Soil That Kyiv Dismisses". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.(subscription required)
  18. Dixon, Robyn; Ilyushina, Mary (2023-03-03). "Alleged 'terrorist' attack in West Russia fuels hard-line pressure on Putin". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  19. "Why purported cross-border attack ups ante in Ukraine war". Associated Press. 2023-03-03. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  20. Romanenko, Valentina (2023-03-02). ""Вільні росіяни борються з режимом Путіна": відповідальність за події на Брянщині взяв на себе РДК" [Free Russians are fighting Putin's regime": RDK took responsibility for the events in Bryansk Region]. Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-03-04. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  21. Kramer, Andrew E.; Nechepurenko, Ivan; Kim, Victoria (2023-03-09). "Russia Uses Hypersonic Missiles in Broad Strike on Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  22. "Russia Shifts Tactics With Deadly Missile Strikes on Ukraine". Bloomberg.com. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  23. Polityuk, Pavel; Perun, Andriy (9 March 2023). "Russia kills civilians in first huge missile wave for weeks". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  24. Strahilova, Elena (10 March 2023). "Руски партизани: В следващите две седмици имаме изненади за Путин (ВИДЕО)". Actualno.com (in Bulgarian).
  25. "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.
  26. "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.
  27. "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.
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