Russian rebels who support Ukraine have vowed to “march on Moscow” after capturing a border town.
Anti-Kremlin troops dashed into Russia for a two-pronged assault on Tuesday.
Freedom of Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion and Russian Volunteer Corps have been identified as battling against Vladimir Putin’s squaddies in the regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
Members of the Freedom of Russia Legion pledged to "take our land from the regime centimetre by centimetre".
Russian rebels have posed a fresh threat to Vladimir Putin
REUTERS/GETTY/FREEDOM OF RUSSIA
The legion later claimed: "The village of Tetkino, Kursk region, is fully under the control of the Russian liberation forces.
"Putin's army is rapidly leaving the village, leaving behind positions and abandoning heavy equipment."
It would appear Russian forces were forced to flee Kursk after being overrun by guerilla fighters.
However, the Kremlin continues to reject Russian tanks entered retreat and insisted rebel breakthrough attempts were thwarted.
Moscow was also keen to label the Russian rebels as “Ukrainian” but Kyiv denied any involvement, adding the paramilitary groups are "independent organisations" of Russian citizens who are operating at "home".
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Vladimir PutinGettyFRL volunteer Alexei Baranovsky told Pravda: "All our groups are still located in Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts.
"The whole situation is underway. Today, we only saw the first part of the multi-act play."
He also told Newsweek that the rebels hope to “march on Moscow” to ensure the “liberation of Russia from Putin”.
The revelations come after dramatic footage supposedly capturing the rebels passing a settlement in the Belgorod emerged on Tuesday.
Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin talks to Wagner fighters in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in BakhmutREUTERS
Another clip appeared to show an armoured personnel carrier being blown up.
The Freedom of Russia Legion, which was formed in the spring of 2022, operates with the explicit aim of ousting Putin from the Kremlin.
However, any plans to march on Moscow would come after the Wagner Group’s botched attempted coup last summer.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the mercenaries, was initially sent into exile in Belarus over his involvement.
He later died during a flight on a private jet as it crashed in the Tver region, north of Moscow.