Russian Volunteer Corps say Belgorod’s governor did not come to meeting, prisoners would be handed over to Ukraine

The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) have said that Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod Oblast, did not show up for the meeting offered to him to pick up the Russian prisoners; they will be transferred to Ukraine’s Prisoner of War exchange fund.

Source: Denis Nikitin, commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, in a video address posted on RVC’s and Freedom of Russia Legion’s Telegram channels

Quote: "I just returned from Novaya Tavolzhanka. As we expected, Mr Gladkov did not find the courage to exchange his precious time for the life and freedom of, as he said, ‘our boys’. Here are the same ‘boys’ that Mr Gladkov has ‘killed’ with our hands in his video. As you can see, during my absence, we have captured many more of ‘your boys’.

Unlike Gladkov, Prigozhin found the courage and was ready to agree to our terms. You, Mr Gladkov, no longer dictate the terms to us. If the governor does not control the situation in the region, and does not know how many of your boys are in our captivity, we will communicate with those who make decisions in Moscow."

Details: Nikitin noted that the fate of the captured Russian soldiers in the RVC has been decided: "They will be handed over to the Ukrainian side for the exchange procedure".

Background: After Nikitin offered Gladkov to meet and exchange a conversation with him for the Russian prisoners, the leader of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, wrote: "Denis, if no one comes to the designated place for the prisoners, I am ready to send one of my high-ranking deputies to take them away. If Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy comes to this place, I am ready to come myself."

Previously: The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion said they had captured Russian soldiers in Belgorod Oblast and demanded a meeting with the local governor.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, has said that he was prepared to meet with representatives of the Russian Volunteer Corps if the Russian army soldiers they captured are still alive. He has claimed, however, that fighting was ongoing in the town of Novaya Tavolzhanka where the RVC offered to meet.

Later, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that they stopped the attempt of a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group to cross the river near the settlement of Novaya Tavolzhanka, Belgorod Oblast.

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