Anastasia Pechenyuk19:40, 06/05/23

He died in a shooting battle in Novaya Tavolzhanka.

In the settlement of Nova Tavolzhanka in the Belgorod Region of the Russian Federation, which was occupied by fighters of the “Russian Volunteer Corps” fighting on the side of Ukraine, 52-year-old Colonel Andriy Stesev was killed. He was the senior officer of the “Belhorod” operative group, reports the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

“According to operational information, on the night of June 4-5 in the settlement of Nova Tavolzhanka, guard colonel Andriy Vasyliovych Stesev was killed – the senior operative group “Belhorod”. Previously, he held the position of commander of the 104th airborne assault regiment of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation”, – the message says. 

GUR also publishes a photo of the license of the liquidated colonel, from which it follows that he was assigned to military unit 07264 of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, based in Pskov (Pskov region of the Russian Federation). 

The “Freedom of Russia” Legion reported that the liquidation of Stesev was the result of their work with the “Russian Volunteer Corps”. 

“We would like to inform you that a joint group of the Legion “Freedom of Russia” and the RDK killed Colonel Stsev Andriy Vasyliovych, the senior operative group of Belgorod. He died in a shooting battle, like an officer with a weapon in his hands, but we must admit that these hands are covered in blood up to the elbows . He and his subordinates systematically terrorized the population of the Belgorod region, violated their rights and freedoms by his orders. Previously, Stesev killed civilians in Chechnya, Yugoslavia, Abkhazia and on the territory of Ukraine,” the Legion said in a statement.

Nova Tavolzhanka – what you need to know about the situation in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation

At the beginning of this month, Russian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine began the second stage of the operation in the Belgorod region. 

Fighting was going on in a number of settlements located near the Ukrainian border. In particular, fighting took place in the suburbs of Shebekino (Nova Tavolzhanka, Tytivka).

On Sunday, June 4, it became known that several soldiers of the Russian army were captured in Novaya Tavolzhanka. The Legion “Freedom of Russia” and the “Russian Volunteer Corps” offered the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, to hand over the prisoners in exchange for a meeting with him. However, he refused and the prisoners were handed over to Ukraine for further exchange for Ukrainian military prisoners.

On June 5, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on repeatedly repulsed attacks by “saboteurs” on Nova Tavolzhanka .

The RDC quickly refuted the statements of the aggressor country’s department and reported that Nova Tavolzhanka has been under their complete control for several days.

(C)UNIAN 2023