“Self-Defence Battalions“ Or Wagner Militia? Russia’s Belgorod Plunges Deeper Into Ukraine War

One of Russia’s western border regions is forming self-defence units amid the Ukraine invasion. Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said the region will be focusing on forming its own militia for territorial defences. According to Gladkov, several battalions made up of local residents are being formed, many of whom were not able to join Russian Forces. The creation of self-defence units in Belgorod reflects how the small border region has been increasingly dragged into the Ukraine war. Residents of the Belgorod region have said that they have seen heightened military activity in the region since the start of the war. The announcement comes after Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said he was setting up training centres in the Belgorod region. The founder of the Wagner Group, a de facto private army network of Putin, said that the centres were being formed in Belgorod and Kursk. The Wagner group founder added that there should be military units with mobilised men and other facilities with security for