The Kremlin’s push for a “long war” against Ukraine may have a snowball effect on domestic insurgency within Russia. In the early morning of June 1, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and the Free Russia Legion (LSR) crossed the Russian border from Ukraine once again. They engaged in combat with Russian forces in Shebekino, a town in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, causing civilians to evacuate. This was part of a sequence of operations conducted by Russian anti-Kremlin armed groups in the past weeks

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, a Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church and not to be confused with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, has been one of Russia’s most powerful soft power structures in Ukraine. Today, it serves as a toxic asset and a warning for other countries who host it. Recently, Western and Ukrain