The Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), together with a representative of the Free Russia Legion (LSR), recorded a video message to the Governor of the Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov. In it, the commander of the RDK Denis Nikitin urges Gladkov to come to the temple, located in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, Shebekinsky district (RF) and pick up the captured Russian soldiers.
Nikitin says he is doing this as a "goodwill move" in honor of the Orthodox feast of the Trinity. The demand for a personal visit by Gladkov, who is invited to come accompanied by a driver, but without weapons, is explained by the need to communicate with him personally, “to discuss the current situation in the region and, most importantly, talk about its future and the future of Russia as a whole.” In addition, Nikitin shows in the video two people whom he presents as prisoners of the Russian military.
On May 22, a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the RDK entered the territory of the Russian Federation in the area of the Grayvoron checkpoint. During the day, there were reports of hostilities in the Graivoronsky district of the Belgorod region, the Russian authorities announced a counter-terrorist operation (CTO).
On May 1, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Free Russia Legion reiterated their raid near the town of Shebekino. The governor of the Belgorod region denied that the DRG had entered the territory of the Russian Federation.
Authorities in the Belgorod border region have regularly reported shelling since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Massive shelling of the region began on June 1, 2023 and continues to this day. Governor Gladkov calls on residents of settlements in the Shebekinsky urban district to “listen to the position of the authorities” and “temporarily leave” their homes. Organized evacuation in the region has not yet been announced.