The region of the Russian city of Belgorod - literally 'the white city' - is under fire, not only is white smoke polluting the atmosphere, but especially black smoke... It is unclear what exactly is happening in the Belgorod region, but it is evident that damage is being caused by non-Kremlin-aligned forces. The governor of the province, Vyacheslav Gladkov, believes that ’a Ukrainian military sabotage and recon(naissance) group is active in the Graivoron district’. Therefore, he immediately ordered an evacuation.
Oh dear, that's troublesome for the little Botox president in Moscow, is Russia now being directly attacked as well? The question is whether the military activity was initiated by the Ukrainians, as the so-called Freedom of Russia Legion claims responsibility in a recorded video. And on their own Telegram channel, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) claims responsibility for the attacks. The 'legion' was established in the spring of 2022 and mainly consists of Russian deserters and other Belarus and Russian volunteers. Even the former Vice Chairman of Gazprombank has joined these freedom fighters.
The public reactions from both warring parties in this gruesome war are often predictably biased. According to Moscow, it was Ukrainian soldiers who crossed the border, while Zelensky's advisor Mykhailo Podoliak mentioned Russian underground guerrilla groups. In passing, Podoliak mentioned that ’tanks can be purchased in every Russian military store.’ Well, I'm not so sure about that anymore, during the last Moscow military parade, I could only spot one small insignificant tank. And it was over 70 years old...
The attacks near Belgorod now seem to have some impact, even the Russian state television reported on them. Moreover, when a governor of a county (Oblast) is allowed to say on Russian TV that the population of a part of his region needs to be evacuated, it means there's trouble brewing. On the other hand, it could also be an attempt by Putin to prepare the Russians for even worse times. And for more mobilizations of (young) Russian men...
In this latter case, Putin is playing a risky game because there's also the possibility that parts of the Russian population will rally behind the 'Russia Legion.' Under the banner of 'we want to fight, comrade Putin, not with you, but against you.' In other words, such a development lays the groundwork for a full-fledged civil war in Russia. However, I believe that this scenario remains wishful thinking. Why? Putin has forcefully subjugated the people in a Stalinist manner, and any form of resistance is ruthlessly retaliated against. Not to mention the Kremlin-controlled media that has completely brainwashed the citizens from Vladivostok to Belgorod.
In any case, the military skirmishes in Belgorod and its region seem to benefit the Ukrainians. Russia is being attacked on its own territory, and Comrade Putin can no longer protect his own citizens. That is the (Ukrainian) message!
Meanwhile, the pro-Russian slogans from the other 'white city,' the Serbian capital Belgrade, have been less prominent lately. The Serbian 'brotherly people,' through President Aleksandar Vučić, have never supported sanctions against Russia. However, according to a Pentagon report, it appears that Serbia is indeed supporting the Ukrainians. No, not with humanitarian aid like Hungary, but through the sale of serious war materials. Wow, Vučić goes even further than the Hingarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who still prohibits Western weapons from crossing the Ukrainian-Hungarian border. And yet, Hungary is a member of NATO and the EU, while Serbia is not...
Fortunately, the white city of Belgrade does not have a sister city relationship with the white city of Belgorod, so there's no need to sever any ties. Interestingly, there is no official relationship between these two cities, but it gets even more peculiar. Belgrade actually has a sister city relationship with Tel Aviv. This is probably due to a collection of over 4,000 buildings in that city, which are referred to as the white city…….
As a peaceful city, Belgorod naturally has a sister city relationship with Bethlehem. As you know, the Russian Patriarch Kirill always stands for peace and justice, and besides, Bethlehem also starts with the letter 'B'... (by the way, Kirill is more like the devil's substitute on Earth...). The Hungarian city of Sopron has also established a sister city relationship with Belgorod. Ah, that must make Viktor Orbán happy, as it gives him an official (city) alliance with his buddy Putin...