Svitlana Morenets Svitlana Morenets

Has Ukraine launched a ‘special military operation’ in Russia?

A Ukrainian Volunteer Army solider near Bakhmut, 11 March 2023 (Getty Images)

While the world is waiting for Ukraine’s spring offensive, something very different happened this morning: an incursion into Russian territory. The soldiers involved are not from the Ukrainian army, but two legions of exiled Russians (including soldiers who defected from Russian forces) allied with Ukraine but are not part of Kyiv’s official military command.

While Ukraine is not claiming responsibility, it’s hardly condemning the raid

The ‘Russian Volunteer Corps’ and the ‘Free Russia Legion’, both expat legions based in Ukraine, are moving towards Russian towns in the Belgorod region (north of Kharkiv) and have so far claimed to have ‘liberated’ the village...

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