Bilhorod People's Republic (Ukrainian: Білгородська Народна Республіка, БНР/BNR), also known as "Belgorod People's Republic" is a series of internet memes mocking Russian created quasi-states in Russo-Ukrainian war.[1][2][3]
Following the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have been working with several exiled Russian opposition groups. On 22 May 2023 the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corp lead an armed incursion across the border into Russia's Belgorod oblast with little resistance, which the UAF claimed to have no connection with.
Introduction
Background and Parody
The region of nowadays Belgorod Oblast of Russian Federation located in the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. In 1917, this region had become a part of the newly formed Ukrainian People's Republic.[4] Bilhorod is the Ukrainian name for Belgorod. During the Ukrainian-Soviet War, Bilhorod was the capital of Russian backed Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine between Dec 14, 1918 and Jan 7, 1919.[4] Following the defeat of Ukrainian state and the subsequent Soviet Russian occupation, this region was annexed into Russian SFSR in 1922.
In 2014, Russia sent troops to Ukraine with the aim of annexing the territory[5] and established several puppet regimes calling themselves "people's republics".[6][7]
The "BNR" parodies this by switching the narrative to the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.[8][9][10]
During the early stage of Russian invasion of Ukraine in April 2022, several targets in the Belgorod region were attacked. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council had joked that these events were related to the "Bilhorod People's Republic".[11][12] The information warfare also spawned parody to "hold independence referendum in Belgorod region".[13] Calls and text messages from unknown numbers and telegram chats also been sent to residents of the region: “They call us BNR, that is, the Belgorod People's Republic, in their Ukrainian chats. By analogy with the LNR and DNR”, said a local resident said in July 2022.[14]
2023 Belgorod Oblast Conflict
References
- ^ ""Боже, бомбі Бєлгород": мережа вибухнула мемами через події в "БНР"".
- ^ Hodge, Rob Picheta,Nathan (2023-05-23). "Anti-Putin Russians say they launched a cross-border attack from Ukraine. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Roth, Andrew (2023-05-24). "'We are Russians just like you': anti-Putin militias enter the spotlight". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ a b "Ігор Роздобудько. Східна Слобожанщина в боротьбі за незалежну Україну. // Східна Слобожанщина. Українці навколо України".
- ^ Walker, Shaun; Grytsenko, Oksana (2014-05-12). "Ukraine crisis: Donetsk region asks to join Russia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ "The Russian military intervention in eastern Ukraine". OSW Centre for Eastern Studies. 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ "The Use of Russia's Military in the Crimean Crisis".
- ^ "Brazen raids into Russia aim to stretch forces thin: Analysts". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ Hodge, Rob Picheta,Nathan (2023-05-23). "Anti-Putin Russians say they launched a cross-border attack from Ukraine. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Balmforth, Tom; Dabrowska, Anna (2023-05-24). "Ukraine war: Belgorod incursion may stretch Russia's defences". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ ""Бєлгородська народна республіка": Данілов потролив РФ через вибухи на нафтобазі (відео)". ФОКУС (in Ukrainian). 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ ""Бєлгородська народна республіка": тролінг Данілова про пожежу на нафтобазі в росії". Інформаційне агентство Українські Національні Новини (УНН). Всі онлайн новини дня в Україні за сьогодні - найсвіжіші, останні, головні. (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-05-27.
- ^ "Белгородская Народная Республика (БНР) — чем запомнилось 1 апреля 2022 года – Правник" (in Ukrainian). 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ ""We are already used to the explosions." How Belgorod region residents ended up in a war zone – an on-the-ground report". The Insider (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-05-29.