The governor of the Russian district of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Sunday that fighting with a “Ukrainian saboteur group” is taking place in the town of Novaya Tavolzhanka, near the border with Ukraine, and added that he is willing to meet with the group of pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters who have captured two Russian soldiers.

Earlier today, these pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters, who participated in the recent raids in the Russian border region of Belgorod, announced that they had captured two Russian soldiers, and that they were offering to exchange them for a meeting with the regional governor.

THE Legion of Freedom of Russia and the Russian Volunteer Corps have reported in recent days that they are fighting in the area, while Reuters notes that it was unable to confirm these reports from independent sources.

In a video on Russia’s Freedom Legion channel on the Telegram app, a man claiming to be the commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps says he will hand over the two captives to the governor of Belgorod if the latter meets the fighters in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka before from 5 p.m. (local time and Greek time).

The video shows the two captives, one of whom appears to be injured and is on an operating table.

“Today until 17:00 you have the chance communicate without weapons and take back two Russian citizens, ordinary soldiers whom you and your political leadership send to slaughter,” said a statement posted with the video.

A while ago, Gladkoff stated: “Most likely they were killed, as harsh as it is to say. But if they are alive, from 5-6 p.m. – checkpoint Sebekino. I guarantee safety.”