The Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and Siberian Battalion (SB) posted videos that purported to show their fighters in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. The FRL and an exiled Russian politician claimed two villages were now in control of “liberation forces”. Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously accused Kyiv of launching strikes on the region to disrupt his bid for re-election, in which he claimed a landslide victory. Around 9,000 children will be evacuated from the Russian city of Belgorod and the wider region after shelling that authorities have blamed on Ukraine. Can Belgorod be taken up by Ukraine ?

