Part of Russia's nuclear stockpile is being urgently evacuated from the Belgorod region - DIU

An urgent evacuation is underway in Russia's Graivoronsky district. Nuclear stockpiles are being removed from a nearby storage facility called Belgorod-22.

This was stated by a representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Andriy Yusov, during a telethon. The evacuation of nuclear stockpiles is connected with the entry of Russians from the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps into the territory of the Russian region.

"An urgent evacuation is being carried out from the Belgorod-22 facility, which is a nuclear munitions storage facility. This place is located near the Graivoronsky district," said a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence.

In addition, the Belgorod region announced the start of a counter-terrorism operation in the region on May 22. A number of restrictions will be imposed in the region, ranging from document checks on the streets to the suspension of businesses and organisations working with explosives, chemicals or poisonous substances.

As reported earlier, on the morning of May 22, members of the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps said they had entered the territory of the Russian Federation, in particular, a number of settlements in the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. The Russians fighting on the side of Ukraine said they were "returning home" because it was time to liberate Russia from the "tyranny of the Kremlin".

Subsequently, Russian media and social media began to report on fighting in the border settlements of the Belgorod region.

Around 2 p.m., the "Freedom of Russia" legion stated that they had "liberated" Kozynka in Belgorod Oblast and entered the village of Graivoron. A little later, the Russians reported that they had "liberated" the village of Hora Podil and started storming Graivoron.

Russian media reported explosions and the sound of gunfire in the area, as well as the downing of a Russian Mi-8 and, preliminarily, at least 8 wounded on the part of the Russian Federation, but this information as of 19:00 needed to be confirmed.

At 14:20, the information was confirmed by the governor of Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, who said that a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had entered the territory of the Graivoronsky district. According to him, Russian and FSB units are "taking measures".

Meanwhile, the DIU confirmed that Russian volunteers are conducting an operation in the Belgorod region. Its key goal is to create a "security zone" to protect the civilian population of Ukraine.

At the same time, the Office of the President of Ukraine stressed that our country is "watching with interest" the events in the Belgorod region, but has nothing to do with them. There are only Russian citizens there, and they apparently "bought the tanks at the Russian military sale", the same place where the "little green men" bought weapons to seize Ukrainian Crimea in 2014.

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