A resident of Belgorod was forced to write down an apology for filming the shelling

A resident of Belgorod recorded a video apologizing for filming the consequences of shelling and air defense work in the city on his phone. In the video, he is surrounded by people in camouflage uniforms with the inscription “SMERSH” whose backs are turned to the camera. The young man calls his name – Denis Boban – calls his act rash, declares that he admits guilt and is ready to bear the punishment.

Boban clarifies that he shot on January 2. The mayor of Belgorod, Valentin Demidov, called on residents this evening not to record or publish on social networks the consequences of shelling and air defense work due to safety concerns.

The local Telegram channel “Fonar” chose to publish the video with apologies. He said that Boban “was found by security forces.” However, there is no unit called “SMERSH” in the Russian law enforcement agencies. Units with such an abbreviation, meaning “Death to spies”, existed in the counterintelligence bodies of the USSR during the Second World War. They hunted down persons suspected of cooperation with foreign intelligence and “anti-Soviet activities”.

Belgorod and the region were subjected to numerous shelling in the last week. The Ministry of Defense of Russia accuses the Armed Forces of Ukraine of them. The Ukrainian side usually does not comment on them.

• Last year, in Russia and the annexed Crimea, the name “SMERSH” was appropriated by pro-government groups of public activists. They track down people expressing an anti-war or pro-Ukrainian position in the cities and on the Internet, and file complaints against them with law enforcement agencies – for example, on the article about “discrediting the army.”
• In addition, “SMERSH” often forces those whose actions he disagrees with to record apologies on video and publishes them on social networks. The most active “Crimean SMERSH”, for example, published the apology of a student of Simferopol University who spoke in support of Ukraine; a local resident who previously published photos with objects of blue and yellow colors (the colors of the Ukrainian flag) in her accounts; a tattoo artist who, at the client’s request, made him a tattoo with an inscription in Ukrainian.