Belgorod governor says local authorities ‘cannot enter’ village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, which pro-Ukraine ‘partisans’ claim to control

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said during a livestream on Russian social media network VKontakte that regional authorities “cannot enter” the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka. 

“Today, we’re not yet able to enter. We know that around 100 people are there, according to the district head’s report, but the last two days’ shelling hasn’t allowed us to clarify that information. I hope that as soon as the situation changes, we’ll be able to return and persuade people to leave the area,” Gladkov said.

The governor didn’t specify why the authorities “can’t” enter the area.

The Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), which fights for Ukraine, says that “despite the authorities’ assurances,” RDK fighters continue to control Novaya Tavolzhanka. The group posted a video to Telegram showing armed men in camouflage with yellow ribbons on their sleeves, walking down the street of an unidentified town. It’s not entirely clear where or when the footage was shot. Russian independent outlet Agentstvo says that the video was filmed on the outskirts of Novaya Tavolzhanka.