Belgorod Rebels Eye 'March on Moscow' When Crimea Falls: Official

Rebel Russian units fighting for Ukraine on Russian territory have ambitions greater than occupying parts of the western Belgorod region, a spokesperson for one of groups involved in the ongoing frontier incursion has told Newsweek.

Alexei Baranovsky is a representative of the political wing of the Freedom of Russia Legion. He said President Vladimir Putin's forces have proved unable to dislodge the insurgents. Their success, he added, is intended as a platform for operations deeper into Russian territory, even as far as Moscow.

"The minimum plan is to create a demilitarized zone on the borders with Ukraine, so that Putinists cannot fire ground equipment at the territory of Ukraine from here," Baranovsky said. "But the main plan, of course, is a swift march on Moscow.

"When the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberate Crimea, the paralysis of the system of government in Russia will begin," he added. "Putin's power will begin to stagger, and at that moment, it will be necessary to strike at the heart of the dictatorial regime. Soon."

Russian frontier forces have been unable to stop the cross-border raids. At times, Ukraine-aligned units—among them the Freedom of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Polish Volunteer Corps—have destroyed Russian military equipment, captured enemy troops, and even occupied settlements. Thousands of civilians have been evacuated from the border area.

Putin has faced significant criticism from Russian ultranationalist military bloggers. They have expressed frustration at the apparent weakness of the regular military forces guarding the border regions. Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prizoghin has even offered to deploy his mercenaries to clear out the raiders. He added that Moscow might use nuclear weapons to defeat the incursions.

The Institute for the Study of War has said that the Kremlin might be hesitant to redeploy troops from the Ukrainian front line to defeat the border raids.

Undermining Russian strength at the contact line in southern and eastern Ukraine could prove of great value to Kyiv's units now shifting to counteroffensive operations. The border problems, while embarrassing, may not be considered a strategic-level threat by Putin and his top officials.

While Baranovsky said the attacking groups have grand ambitions to topple the Putin government, he added that the small, mobile units taking part in the fighting have different battle plans for different eventualities.

"There are different scenarios for the development of events," he said. "The rebels have a plan A, a plan B, a plan C. They know what to do in any given situation.

"There will be an opportunity to gain a foothold in some settlement—they will gain a foothold," Baranovsky added. "There will be a need to retreat—they will retreat. It will be convenient to attack—they will attack. Unpredictability is our hallmark."

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry by email for comment.