Russia's war in Ukraine, Wagner Group insurrection
At least 14 servicemen from the Pskov region in Russia were killed in early June during an incursion that happened in the Belgorod region, said Pskov Gov. Mikhail Vedernikov in a video message posted on his Telegram on Wednesday.
"A difficult event that needs to be mentioned is the farewell to servicemen from Velikiye Luki, Pskov, Novosokolniki, Pustoshka and Opochka districts. They died at the beginning of the month during the attack of the sabotage and reconnaissance group on the Belgorod region. The funerals took place both last week and this week. Unfortunately, these are not the last mourning events. At the moment, we know of at least 14 who died in those days," said Vedernikov.
According to Vedernikov, at least 10 Pskov military personnel were also captured during the incursion.
"They were shown by Ukrainian propaganda and its accomplices from among the treacherous armed formations. At the same time, a resonant video appeared with a proposal to the governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov about an exchange on neutral territory. As we now know, there is no fair exchange with militants from pseudo-Russian terrorist organizations. It was a banal trap. We did everything possible to speed up negotiations on the exchange of our prisoners," he added.
According to the Pskov governor, three Russian servicemen have already been exchanged.
"This did not happen yesterday. Relatives were notified long ago. But we decided not to make sensational news out of this because the moment is very difficult for everyone. There are procedures that are carried out by counterintelligence," said Vedernikov.
Some more context: The region of Belgorod has seen a growing incidence of cross-border fire, in both directions, as well as incursions from Ukraine by groups calling themselves anti-Putin Russian partisans.
Source: CNN
