On May 22, 2023, a series of explosions occurred in the Belgorod region. The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine said that an operation is being carried out in this territory to “create a safety strip” exclusively with the participation of citizens of the Russian Federation. Instead, a “counter-terrorist operation regime” was introduced in the Belgorod region and began evacuating nuclear munitions from the storage facility. The Office of the President of Ukraine said that Ukraine has no direct relation to the events in Belgorod, but is “watching with interest”. Two units took responsibility for these events: the Legion “Freedom of Russia” and the “Russian Volunteer Corps”.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of Vyacheslav Ratinsky, who took representatives of Russian units fighting on the side of Ukraine.
After a series of explosions in the Belgorod region, the media received information about the arrival of Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine to this territory. The Russian Volunteer Corps (RDC) and the Legion “Freedom of Russia” said they were creating “a demilitarized zone on the border with the Russian Federation, from where Russian military will not be able to fire on Ukraine.” On May 23, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the defeat of Russian volunteer units. However, the spokesman of GUR Andriy Yusov noted on May 23 that the operation of the RDC on the territory of Russia continues.
“Russian Volunteer Corps” is a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed in August 2022 to protect Ukraine from a full-scale Russian invasion. RDC is part of the International Legion of Tros. The commander of the RDC Denis Nikitin noted that they are part of the 98th battalion of TRO “Azov-Dnipro”. Ethnic Russian immigrants living in Ukraine and other countries can join the RDC. The Legion “Freedom of Russia” was created by Russian servicemen from among the prisoners to fight the Putin regime.
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi in May 2023 worked in Donetsk region. At the end of the month, reports began to arrive about “unusual things” happening on the border with Russia, in the Belgorod region.
“No one could understand what had happened. It turned out that the units, which consisted of Russians, broke through the border, seized a checkpoint, killed several FSB officers, and even seized equipment. They kept the border Russian villages under control for several weeks. So, no one expected such a turn of events,” recalls photographer Vyacheslav Ratynskyi.
The units of the legions “Freedom of Russia” and “Russian Volunteer Corps” claimed responsibility for these actions. They actively published videos and photos of their “exploits and adventures”. Russian propagandists said they had eliminated RDC fighters.
“Everyone was curious to see who these crazy daredevils were. Together with my colleagues I went to Kharkov, and from there — to a secret place in the neighboring region. When he arrived at the meeting place, he saw almost a hundred other journalists there. So the place turned out to be not so secret,” says Vyacheslav with a smile.
Representatives of Russian units gathered at one of the training sites. They arrived on the trophy BTR, and there were several dozen of them. Ratinsky says that the Russians posed with weapons, in new equipment and with the flags of their units. The excitement among journalists was furious. The fighters generously distributed comments and shared their successes.
“The brightest character, in my opinion, was the commander of the RDC Denis Nikitin. He introduced himself as “White rex”, that is, “White King”. He acted very confidently, I would say — boldly. He even fired a pistol into the air. But he obediently spoke to the cameras for more than an hour and posed for photographers,” says Vyacheslav Ratynsky.
After meeting with RDC fighters, Vyacheslav and his colleagues went to Volchansk in Kharkiv region.
“It was near this city that the forays of Russian volunteers abroad to fight the Russian army took place. It sounds crazy,” says the photographer. “Already at the entrance to Volchansk I saw a lot of armored vehicles traveling back and forth. There was constant shelling in the city, and the forest around it was burning. There he met many different special agents who, of course, could not be photographed.”
Vyacheslav and his colleagues tried to reach the border in order to “see the situation with the edge of the eye”. However, due to constant shelling, journalists were turned back. Ratinsky came to Volchansk for several more days in a row.
“Once, during heavy shelling, we didn't know where to hide. Suddenly, a summer mustache — Mykola Ivanovych — came out of one yard. He invited us to sit in the backyard cellar with him, the twirls, and his shepherd, Kurt. I even bought bread, sausage and vodka for Nikolai Ivanovich. But, unfortunately, we did not go to Volchansk anymore,” Ratynsky shares his memories.
Russian volunteers for some time “dreamed” of enemies on the border. However, there is little news about them now.
“I know that the RDC are still fighting. In the fall of last year, he filmed the training of their recruits near Kiev, - says Vyacheslav Ratinsky. “Young Russians, some very young, come from Russia to join the ranks of Ukrainian units. I asked them what they were doing here. Most explain that in such a struggle they see the way to the overthrow of the dictatorial regime in their homeland and dream of a “normal” Russia.”
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi ---- Ukrainian documentary photographer and photojournalist. He has been working in the field of photojournalism for more than 10 years. Collaborates with international and Ukrainian news agencies and media, including Reuters, The Guardian, Le Monde, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazine and others. He has been published in many Western and Ukrainian media, including: The Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Telegraph, The New York Times, El Pais, Der Spiegel and others. Participant in many photo exhibitions in Europe, USA, Japan and South Korea. His photographs have been published in several books. Vyacheslav Ratinsky works in Ukraine. In his work, the photographer explores the impact of war on society, social and political problems.
Social networks:Facebook, Instagram
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Kateryna Moskalyuk
Bild-editor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
The project is implemented thanks to support IWM Documenting Ukraine.
On May 22, 2023, a series of explosions occurred in the Belgorod region. The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine said that an operation is being carried out in this territory to “create a safety strip” exclusively with the participation of citizens of the Russian Federation. Instead, a “counter-terrorist operation regime” was introduced in the Belgorod region and began evacuating nuclear munitions from the storage facility. The Office of the President of Ukraine said that Ukraine has no direct relation to the events in Belgorod, but is “watching with interest”. Two units took responsibility for these events: the Legion “Freedom of Russia” and the “Russian Volunteer Corps”.
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers publishes photos of Vyacheslav Ratinsky, who took representatives of Russian units fighting on the side of Ukraine.
After a series of explosions in the Belgorod region, the media received information about the arrival of Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine to this territory. The Russian Volunteer Corps (RDC) and the Legion “Freedom of Russia” said they were creating “a demilitarized zone on the border with the Russian Federation, from where Russian military will not be able to fire on Ukraine.” On May 23, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the defeat of Russian volunteer units. However, the spokesman of GUR Andriy Yusov noted on May 23 that the operation of the RDC on the territory of Russia continues.
“Russian Volunteer Corps” is a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed in August 2022 to protect Ukraine from a full-scale Russian invasion. RDC is part of the International Legion of Tros. The commander of the RDC Denis Nikitin noted that they are part of the 98th battalion of TRO “Azov-Dnipro”. Ethnic Russian immigrants living in Ukraine and other countries can join the RDC. The Legion “Freedom of Russia” was created by Russian servicemen from among the prisoners to fight the Putin regime.
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi in May 2023 worked in Donetsk region. At the end of the month, reports began to arrive about “unusual things” happening on the border with Russia, in the Belgorod region.
“No one could understand what had happened. It turned out that the units, which consisted of Russians, broke through the border, seized a checkpoint, killed several FSB officers, and even seized equipment. They kept the border Russian villages under control for several weeks. So, no one expected such a turn of events,” recalls photographer Vyacheslav Ratynskyi.
The units of the legions “Freedom of Russia” and “Russian Volunteer Corps” claimed responsibility for these actions. They actively published videos and photos of their “exploits and adventures”. Russian propagandists said they had eliminated RDC fighters.
“Everyone was curious to see who these crazy daredevils were. Together with my colleagues I went to Kharkov, and from there — to a secret place in the neighboring region. When he arrived at the meeting place, he saw almost a hundred other journalists there. So the place turned out to be not so secret,” says Vyacheslav with a smile.
Representatives of Russian units gathered at one of the training sites. They arrived on the trophy BTR, and there were several dozen of them. Ratinsky says that the Russians posed with weapons, in new equipment and with the flags of their units. The excitement among journalists was furious. The fighters generously distributed comments and shared their successes.
“The brightest character, in my opinion, was the commander of the RDC Denis Nikitin. He introduced himself as “White rex”, that is, “White King”. He acted very confidently, I would say — boldly. He even fired a pistol into the air. But he obediently spoke to the cameras for more than an hour and posed for photographers,” says Vyacheslav Ratynsky.
After meeting with RDC fighters, Vyacheslav and his colleagues went to Volchansk in Kharkiv region.
“It was near this city that the forays of Russian volunteers abroad to fight the Russian army took place. It sounds crazy,” says the photographer. “Already at the entrance to Volchansk I saw a lot of armored vehicles traveling back and forth. There was constant shelling in the city, and the forest around it was burning. There he met many different special agents who, of course, could not be photographed.”
Vyacheslav and his colleagues tried to reach the border in order to “see the situation with the edge of the eye”. However, due to constant shelling, journalists were turned back. Ratinsky came to Volchansk for several more days in a row.
“Once, during heavy shelling, we didn't know where to hide. Suddenly, a summer mustache — Mykola Ivanovych — came out of one yard. He invited us to sit in the backyard cellar with him, the twirls, and his shepherd, Kurt. I even bought bread, sausage and vodka for Nikolai Ivanovich. But, unfortunately, we did not go to Volchansk anymore,” Ratynsky shares his memories.
Russian volunteers for some time “dreamed” of enemies on the border. However, there is little news about them now.
“I know that the RDC are still fighting. In the fall of last year, he filmed the training of their recruits near Kiev, - says Vyacheslav Ratinsky. “Young Russians, some very young, come from Russia to join the ranks of Ukrainian units. I asked them what they were doing here. Most explain that in such a struggle they see the way to the overthrow of the dictatorial regime in their homeland and dream of a “normal” Russia.”
Vyacheslav Ratynskyi ---- Ukrainian documentary photographer and photojournalist. He has been working in the field of photojournalism for more than 10 years. Collaborates with international and Ukrainian news agencies and media, including Reuters, The Guardian, Le Monde, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazine and others. He has been published in many Western and Ukrainian media, including: The Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Telegraph, The New York Times, El Pais, Der Spiegel and others. Participant in many photo exhibitions in Europe, USA, Japan and South Korea. His photographs have been published in several books. Vyacheslav Ratinsky works in Ukraine. In his work, the photographer explores the impact of war on society, social and political problems.
Social networks:Facebook, Instagram
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Kateryna Moskalyuk
Bild-editor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
The project is implemented thanks to support IWM Documenting Ukraine.
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
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