The village of Novaya Tavolzhanka in the Belgorod region is under the control of the RDK

The village of Novaya Tavolzhanka in the Shebekinsky District of the Belgorod Region is under the control of the so-called “Russian Volunteer Corps”. The main intelligence agency of Ukraine reported that Russian army colonel Andrey Stasev was killed there. He commanded the Russian operational group “Belgorod”.

The RDC fighters themselves reported that the “Russian Volunteer Corps” occupied Novaya Tavolzhanka. The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, indirectly confirmed this information on Monday, saying that Russian forces and representatives of the administration cannot enter the village. He said that about 100 civilians who did not want to evacuate continue to stay in Tavolzhanka. The RDK fighters, however, claim that there are no civilians in the village.

The commander of the Belgorod operational group, Colonel Andrey Stasev, previously held the position of commander of the 104th Airborne Assault Regiment of the Russian Airborne Forces. Operational groups may consist of members of one or more branches of the military. The RDC and the so-called “Liberty of Russia” legion published photos of Stasev’s documents, presumably taken from his dead body.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia confirmed that two sabotage groups from the territory of Ukraine tried to enter Novaya Tavolzhanka the day before, but they were allegedly “destroyed by air strikes and artillery”, and more than 10 people were killed.

It will be difficult to independently confirm the messages of the parties in the conditions of hostilities.

• The “Russian Volunteer Corps” and the “Liberty of Russia” Legion, which took responsibility for the “raids” in the Belgorod Region, are armed formations consisting of Russian citizens and acting on the side of Ukraine. The Ukrainian command does not confirm that these combat units are directly subordinate to him.
• Recently, the Belgorod authorities have been reporting shelling of border districts almost every day. On June 1, fighters of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the “Freedom of Russia” legion, fighting on the side of Ukraine, announced a new raid in the Belgorod region. The authorities of the Belgorod region call on residents of the border areas to evacuate to safer places, temporary accommodation points for displaced persons are open in Belgorod.