The so-called Polish Volunteer Corps, a group acting on behalf of Ukraine, is alleged to have participated in a raid into the Russian border region of Belgorod undertaken by Russian partisans. Poland’s government has categorically denied it has any involvement with the group.
A Polish government information security spokesman on Sunday published a post online repudiating any links between Poland’s military and the Polish Volunteer Corps. “The Polish Volunteer Corps described in the media is in no way associated with the Polish Armed Forces or any Polish institution. The activities of Polish volunteers supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia should not be identified with the authorities of Poland,” the spokesman said.
The Polish Volunteer Corps described in the media is in no way associated with the Polish Armed Forces or any Polish institution.
The activities of Polish volunteers supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia should not be identified with the authorities of the Poland. pic.twitter.com/32LFeTmxku
— Stanisław Żaryn (@StZaryn) June 4, 2023
He was responding to claims from the Polish Volunteer Corps that its members had participated in the attack on the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. In a social media post on Sunday, individuals claiming to be part of the Polish Volunteer Corps said they took part in the action in Russia. “Everyone is asking us whether we participated in the operation in the Belgorod region. The answer is: of course we did,” the post read.
According to the claims, corps members engaged in the battle alongside anti-Putin partisans stationed in Ukraine and supporting the Ukrainian army against the invading Russian forces.
🇷🇺🇵🇱💥🇺🇦
Pierwsze chwile po przekroczeniu granicy Federacji Rosyjskiej przez żołnierzy Polskiego Korpusu Ochotniczego.Przypomnijmy, że w niedawnych wydarzeniach w obwodzie biełgorodzkim oprócz RDK udział brały wszystkie zaprzyjaźnione z jednostką korpusy. pic.twitter.com/TVGnMlG1Ql
— WarNewsPL (@WarNewsPL1) June 4, 2023
However, the Russian Volunteer Corps issued a statement in which it denied that the Poles were involved in the action in Belgorod. It confirmed that the two volunteer forces have been engaged in Ukraine but said with regards to the fighting in Belgorod, the Polish volunteers remained on Ukrainian territory and were only involved in escorting prisoners plus helping with logistical and medical support.