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ANTI-PUTIN partisan groups have today launched another cross-border blitz, sparking a mass evacuation of “thousands” of civilians.
The attack, which saw a truck explode into flames in the middle of a residential street, led to the suspension of polling on day one of Russia’s presidential election.
A truck burst into flames in the middle of a street in Belgorod[/caption] The attack led to the suspension of polling in Belgorod city[/caption] Completed votes were seen in transparent ballot boxes before polls opened, it was claimed[/caption]Russian rebels have indicated it is their plan to disrupt Vladimir Putin’s sham election which begins today and will run until Sunday.
New footage appeared to show pro-Ukrainian partisan paramilitary forces are now active in the border village of Kozinka.
Two blindfolded people, reportedly Russian prisoners, were seen in the video being marched away by the freedom fighters.
Earlier this week, the brave anti-Kremlin groups urged civilians to immediately evacuate their homes ahead of “massive strikes“.
Partisan forces claimed “more than 7,000 civilian vehicles of residents of Belgorod and the Belgorod region” heeded their call to evacuate.
Seven multiple launch rocket system shells were shot down on approach to Belgorod, but there were also hits, and two people were inured – one man suffering broken ribs and another facial wounds from glass shards.
Polling was suspended in Belgorod city, located 25 miles north of Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Election officials were seen wearing bullet-proof gear.
The Anti-Putin group Siberian Battalion reported there was “panic” in the town of Grayvoron, as Russian state media admitted an evacuation.
State-controlled television network RT reported: “People keep leaving [Belgorod region].
“This is a queue at the petrol station. More cars are coming. All these people are from Grayvoron.”
More than 600 civilian vehicles were said to have used the evacuation corridor in border region Kursk.
Three anti-Putin partisan groups – Russian Freedom Legion, the RDK and the Siberian Battalion – claim to be active in the Belgorod and Kursk border areas.
The political head of Russian armed resistance, Ilya Ponomarev, yesterday told The Sun that his Ukraine-supporting partisans were ready to take the fight to Vlad as part of “Operation Freedom”.
The rebels stormed across the border from Ukraine into Russia at sunrise on Tuesday in an unprecedented two-pronged assault on their homeland.
Pro-Putin governor of Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov denied Ukrainian forces were on Russian territory, but admitted civilians were being evacuated.
He said: “I can say there are no Ukrainian troops on the territory of the region, the battle is taking place outside its borders.
“But our Kozinka suffered greatly, the destruction was very serious.”
Footage indicated the troops were on the territory of the region.
Gladkov claimed to have visited Kozinka and to have organised the evacuation of residents due to the cross-border attacks.
He said: “Along with the territorial self-defence fighters and the priest, we took the residents to a safe place and, if desired, will send them to their relatives or to a temporary detention centre.”
He admitted the villages of Gora-Podol, Glotovo and Gruzskoye were under siege.
Russia’s three-day presidential election, which begins today and will run until Sunday, is expected to return Putin on a landslide in a poll widely considered to be rigged.
Major voting abuses have already been alleged in several areas.
Completed votes were seen in transparent ballot boxes before polls opened, it was claimed.
And it was alleged that soldiers who spoiled their ballots by writing “Navalny” on them – in support of “murdered” Putin critic Alexei Navalny – found that a commander removed them before counting.
Bosses reportedly demanded that their staff send a photograph of their completed ballot papers to them from the polling booth, to prove that they voted for Putin – demands which constitute election fraud.
In Kursk and Rostov regions, unconfirmed reports said pens with disappearing ink were provided for votors.
A source cited by the anti-war Telegram channel Sirena said: “The inscription disappears when heated, although the pen looks ordinary.
“They told everyone to be silent and only supply these pens from the boxes they brought.”
The boxes carried the logo of the Central Election Commission, which is seen as biased in favour of Putin, it was claimed.
Fighters from the Freedom of Russia Legion gear up for their attack that started on Tuesday[/caption] The Siberian Battalion (SB) released headcam footage from the ongoing assault[/caption] People cast their votes at a mobile polling station during early voting in Russia’s presidential election in Russian-controlled part of Donetsk region, Ukraine[/caption] The aftermath of the Belgorod election day attack[/caption]