Anti-Putin rebels: ‘More surprises to come’ Counter-offensive by the Ukrainians: Russian troops are now coming under pressure

The “Legion Freedom of Russia” has announced further actions in the Russian border area. “More surprises will come,” spokesman for the self-proclaimed freedom fighters Maximillian Andronnikov, who calls himself Caesar, said in Kiev. There will be a third operation and a fourth and a fifth, he told the British Observer. “We have ambitious plans. We want to liberate all our territories,” he added. He enjoyed the short trip to his Russian homeland.

The group, believed to consist of several hundred Russian fighters, crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine in May and June and occupied villages near the town of Belgorod. Ten Russian soldiers were captured after fighting at the Graivoron border crossing and in the village of Novaya Volchank, among other places, in which two of their own fighters lost their lives.

The partisans are said to have right-wing connections – members of the “Russian Volunteer Corps” are said to have joined, a gathering place for Russian neo-Nazis. One of the members is Denis Kapustin from Moscow, aka Nikitin, who grew up in Cologne and is considered a central figure in the neo-Nazi scene. Read more about the hooligan Nikitin and the “Russian Volunteer Corps” here.

In an interview with the web channel Nexta-TV, Caesar talked about several hundred fighters having their own artillery and reconnaissance equipment. They could act autonomously or support the Ukrainian “brothers at the front”. The hunters were constantly educating themselves. “It is only a matter of time before we have enough strength for our last march,” the rebel spokesman said in a video interview.

“No respect for Prigozhin” – Putin “paranoid”

The spokesman for the rebel group described himself to The Observer as a supporter of constitutional monarchy. He admires Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. When asked about ties to the far right, he said his movement had members from the left and the right, and even supporters of Alexei Navalny, a critic of Putin who was in Russian custody. His group would fight for the future of Ukraine and Russia. It started as a group of Russian soldiers switching sides.

According to Caesar, the rebellion of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin weakened Putin. The spokesman of the “Legion Freedom of Russia” also agreed that the goal of the uprising was the capture of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Commander-in-Chief Valery Gerasimov. However, the Russian secret service FSB found out about the plans and brought the two out of Rostov-on-Don early; Prigozhin then improvised his march to Moscow.

The rebel spokesman himself has little interest in the mercenary boss: “I have no respect for him. He and Putin share the same values.” Nevertheless, he believes that the end of the Kremlin chief’s regime is near. Cracked and unstable, it won’t last past late 2024, he predicts. He called Putin “stupid and aggressive” who withheld the truth from his people and had become “paranoid and scared”.

Russia had banned partisan group

The group has already announced on Twitter that it wants to stop Putin. For the head of the Kremlin, shortly after the Prigozhin uprising, another crossing of the border by armed Russian partisans should mean a further weakening. It’s unclear how serious Caesar is about his plans or if it’s just a threat. It could also be a diversionary tactic to confuse the Russian military and move troops to the border that are needed elsewhere.

Shortly after the clashes at Belgorod, Moscow declared the “Legion Freedom of Russia” a “terrorist” organization. This banned the organization’s activities “on Russian territory”, as reported by Russian news agencies. Members and supporters risk severe penalties up to life imprisonment.

Kiev had denied any support for the group, which retreated to Ukrainian territory after the attack. Still, questions arose: photos showed NATO weapons, including Belgian assault rifles and armored vehicles, which were said to have come from Poland and the US. Denis Kapustin had even suggested connections to Ukrainian military intelligence, which the latter denied. (t-online, when)

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