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RUSSIAN rebels have captured another town in just two days as part of their brave campaign against tyrant Vladimir Putin.

Bold pro-Ukrainian "freedom-fighters" from Russia stormed the border of two towns in the last week and forced Putin's men there to surrender.

The Russian Rebels share a picture brandishing their flags after taking a second stronghold
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The Russian Rebels share a picture brandishing their flags after taking a second strongholdCredit: Telegram
Fighters from the Freedom of Russia Legion are pictured gearing up for the assault that started on Tuesday
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Fighters from the Freedom of Russia Legion are pictured gearing up for the assault that started on Tuesday
Ilya Ponomarev, head of Freedom of Russia Legion, told The Sun that their goal is to inspire others to take up arms against Putin
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Ilya Ponomarev, head of Freedom of Russia Legion, told The Sun that their goal is to inspire others to take up arms against PutinCredit: Getty
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The Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) fought alongside two other groups to take Gorkovskii, near Belgorod, last week.

They vowed to "march on Moscow" and are working with similar groups the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) and Siberian Battalion (SB) to gut more of Putin's strongholds.

In this latest daring raid by Russian rebels along the border and frontline, the volunteer fighters claimed a second victory in Kozinka.

On Sunday, the RDK and SB factions pulled together and took the second village of Kozinka, just miles away from Gorkovskii.

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A victory picture shared on Telegram shows members of the SB and RDK brandishing their flags in the village.

It was captioned: “Flags of the Siberian battalion and RDK in the village of Kozinka of the Russian Federation.”

The groups are understood to be actively fighting in both Belgorod and Kursk.

Together they form a formidable coalition of forces taking on Putin's men along the border, capturing prisoners and raising settlements along the way.

Their joint operation began on March 12, just days ahead of Putin's sham election which ended in an unsurprising victory yesterday evening.

At sunrise, the rebels stormed across the border from Ukraine into Russia in the unprecedented two-pronged assault on their homeland.

The Ukraine-based squads - mostly made up of Russians - then gave chilling orders to locals through a group Telegram statement to evacuate.

It read "Civilians should not suffer from the war" before describing the regions sitting perilously on the border as a "combat zone".

Political chief of the FRL, Ilya Ponomarev, told The Sun his Ukraine-supporting men were ready to take the fight to Vlad as part of "Operation Freedom".

Ponomarev said when their operation began: "This is absolutely the largest assault we have led and it is finally a joint operation of all three Russian [partisan] regiments."

Russian troops were reportedly forced to face attacks in both Belgorod and Kursk after the invasion.

News agency TASS confirmed Russia's National Guard and forces were fighting armed men near Tyotkino in the Kursk region, as well as in Belgorod.

Russia claimed they killed 195 Ukrainian troops and destroyed five tanks in the region, according to .

And Ponomarev, an ex-Russian MP and devout Kremlin enemy, couldn't reveal the exact numbers engaged in the raid - but estimated his forces were outnumbered 10 to 1.

Despite this, his battle-hardened guerrilla groups - who have been cutting their teeth fighting for Ukraine in some of its bloodiest battles - have proved to be decent competition.

He told The Sun last week that the Russian elections would highlight a crucial moment for them to "mount pressure in all directions" and it looks as though they have.

They were planning to disrupt the elections and inspire people to rise up against Mad Vlad.

Some brave Russians protested the elections over the weekend by destroying ballots and even throwing petrol bombs at booths.

Citizens in Russia gathered on the final day of voting at midday as part of a "Noon against Putin" march called for by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny before his death last month.

His plan was that people would show up nationwide to the polling stations at the same time and spoil their ballots, or vote for another candidate, drawing attention to widespread discontent.

And at embassies across the world where Putin's rule is weaker, people were able to rise up even more defiantly when going to vote.

They turned out in their thousands, brandishing banners including one that read: "He is not a president & this is not an election".

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Around 75 Russians were arrested on Sunday after their bold attempts to take a stand.

And in brazen ignorance of the international community's horror, Putin thanked Russians for their "trust" and "support" after claiming victory just hours later.

Putin secured another six years as Russian dictator in his sham elections over the weekend
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Putin secured another six years as Russian dictator in his sham elections over the weekend
Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) hold a briefing near the border in northern Ukraine
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Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) hold a briefing near the border in northern UkraineCredit: Rex
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