New ’Liberty of Russia Legion’ calls for Putin to be OVERTHROWN after smoke seen in Belgorod

Drone footage released on Monday (May 22) showed plumes of smoke rising in Russia’s Belgorod region as the local governor said Ukrainian saboteurs had burst through the frontline from Ukraine. In the short video clip, smoke could be seen rising above fields and buildings in the small town of Kozinka near the border with Ukraine. Reuters was able to confirm the location as Kozinka by matching terrain, buildings and the road layout seen in the video to satellite imagery of the area. Reuters was not able to independently verify the date the video was filmed. Reuters received the video from a spokesperson of the Liberty of Russia Legion. A group calling itself the Liberty of Russia Legion - a Ukraine-based Russian militia led by Russian opposition figure Ilya Ponomarev that says it is working inside Russia for Putin’s overthrow - said on Twitter it had “completely liberated“ Kozinka. It said forward units had reached the district centre of Graivoron, further east.