Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: MUHAMMED ENES YILDIRIM / ANADOLU AGENCY / ANADOLU AGENCY VIA AFP
Drone attacks, shell explosions, evacuation of civilians… Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the population has lived to the rhythm of these events that have become almost commonplace over time in a country ravaged by war. But this time, these scenes do indeed take place in Russia. More precisely in the border region of Belgorod where Russian fighters, coming from Ukraine, infiltrated at the beginning of the week.
Several villages were targeted, acts of sabotage were carried out, forcing Moscow to establish an “anti-terrorist” regime in the region. A device not used since 2009 and which gives more powers to the authorities to carry out armed operations, control or even evacuate civilians. “We are completing a door-to-door (…) A large part of the population has left the territory concerned, we are helping with our means of transport those who do not have one”, indicated the governor of Belgorod Vyachelsav Gladkov on Telegram. But who are these soldiers with a singular profile who sow confusion on the territory of the Russian Federation?
Two distinct entities, one of which is close to the Russian far right
The perpetrators of this raid belong to two units fighting alongside Ukraine: the Russian Freedom Legion on the one hand and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) on the other. “These are two independent militias not officially allied with the Ukrainian forces. They have existed for the few months following the start of the war”, specifies Carole Grimaud, geopolitical analyst and specialist in Russia.
The first openly aims to “liberate” Russia from Vladimir Putin. Its leader, Ilia Ponomariov, is a former member of the Duma (the Russian Federal Assembly) who distinguished himself in 2014 by being the only parliamentarian to vote against the annexation of Crimea by Moscow in 2014. Their symbol , the blue-white-blue flag, is a classic of the Russian opposition and an emblem in the colors of Ukraine is visible on their uniform. In 2022, AFP had met one of its representatives, known as Caesar. The man, originally from St. Petersburg according to him, defined himself as a Russian patriot and a “right-wing nationalist”.
On the other side, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) displays a much more radical ideology. And for good reason, its founder, Denis Kapustin alias “Nikitin”, is a well-known face of the neo-Nazi far right in Russia. According to Meduza, an independent Russian-language media, he appears on the federal list of people wanted by Moscow. A former hooligan, he organized MMA fights in Ukraine, reports AFP. And had launched in 2008 a clothing brand on which the black sun regularly appeared, a symbol often taken up by the neo-Nazi movement. The RDK, mainly made up of Russian volunteers, shares with Liberté de Russie a fierce desire to overthrow the power in place in Moscow.
Establish a “demilitarized buffer zone” between Russia and Ukraine
A final objective which however seems difficult to achieve through a simple incursion into Russian territory in a border region of Ukraine. In reality, says Carole Grimaud, this raid would aim to end the war by establishing a “demilitarized buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine”. A solution similar to that adopted between the two Koreas and which results in a cessation of fighting without ratification of a peace treaty. An idea already mentioned previously by the United States. “Now, from there to say that Washington is behind this operation, I will not go that far”, tempers Carole Grimaud.
As for the links maintained by these two units with kyiv, there again, the vagueness remains. For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it is, whatever happens, unthinkable to show any acquaintance with them. “One of the conditions for obtaining Western weapons is not to wage war on Russia on its territory. But that is what we observe here. So Kiev says it has nothing to do with that,” explains Lukas Aubin, research director at Iris and author of Geopolitics of Russia. Logically, the opposing camp puts forward a radically different hypothesis, ensuring that kyiv seeks to “divert attention” from Bakhmout, the Ukrainian city that the Russians pride themselves on having taken over. This Wednesday, Moscow claims to have completely hunted or eliminated these attackers.