“Not a Single Ukrainian Fighter Enters Russian Territory During Belgorod Region Operation, Ukrainian Units Sustain Losses with Minimal Combat Impact”

During the operation in the Belgorod region, not a single Ukrainian fighter entered the territory of Russia; units participating in the operation suffered losses that did not affect their combat capability

Source: The New York Times referring to a Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity

Details: According to the source of the NYT, not a single Ukrainian fighter entered the territory of Russia. The Ukrainian military plays a predominantly supportive role, protecting the Ukrainian border in the area in the event of a Russian counterattack.

As the interlocutor notes, the units participating in the operation suffered losses, but not so significant as to affect their combat effectiveness. He did not provide other details.

Background:

• On May 22, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion announced that they had crossed the border and were “liberating” the settlements of the Belgorod Region from the current Russian authorities: they started from the villages of Kozinka and Gora-Podol, but they were striving to “liberate” all of Russia.
• The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, said that on May 22, in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Legion of Freedom of Russia launched an operation to create a “certain security zone” to protect civilian Ukrainians – and only Russian citizens participate in it .
• Vyacheslav Gladkov said that most of the residents of the Graivoronsky district left their settlements.
• On Tuesday, May 23, Gladkov announced that the regime of the counterterrorist operation had already been canceled in the region.