Pro-Ukrainian battalions join forces for joint attacks: Russian troops attack their own villages

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Putin is facing enormous headwinds at home. On Tuesday morning, soldiers from several Russian but pro-Ukrainian battalions launched a joint attack. According to military bloggers, they entered the Russian border region of Belgorod and Kursk. Fighters from the Legion of Freedom of Russia, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Siberian Battalion are involved.

According to information from Ilya Ponomaryov (48), former Duma deputy and Putin critic, the rebels are said to have taken control of the border village of Losovaya Rudka. According to t-online.de, there were also fighting in the Kursk region. Air raid sirens sounded in Belgorod. There are also alleged attacks in Tjotkino.

State news agency Tass quotes Russia’s FSP security service as saying Russian forces killed 100 people and destroyed several armored vehicles while “fending off burglary attempts.”

Hit before the elections

The fact that the rebels are striking now probably has something to do with the presidential elections, which take place in Russia from Friday to Sunday and are considered to be sham elections. It is already clear that the incumbent Vladimir Putin (71) will emerge as the winner.

On Tuesday, the fighters posted a video from the border and said that as Russian citizens they had the right to express their will. “It is our will not to recognize a bloody dictator as Russian president.” Putin himself should be imprisoned in the ‘Polar Wolf’ prison camp, where Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny († 47) died in February.

The Siberian battalion reported on Telegram that the “criminal dictatorial regime” could not be overthrown peacefully, but could only be eliminated with “the weapon in hand.”

These are the rebel forces

Andriy Yusov of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence service confirmed joint “activities” of independent units. Yusov: “On the territory of the Russian Federation, these structures operate autonomously, and the Russian citizens who are part of them are ultimately in their home country.” These are the troops:

• Legion of Freedom of Russia: It was formed shortly after the start of the war and consists of defectors from the Russian Armed Forces and other Russian and Belarusian volunteers who were not previously in a unit. Their strength is estimated at about 1,000 men.

• Russian Volunteer Corps: It consists of Russian soldiers who have been fighting for Ukraine since 2014. In August 2022, they merged into one entity. The boss is the right-wing extremist martial artist Denis Kapustin (40), better known as Denis Nikitin. It is said that there are about 200 fighters.

• Siberian Battalion: It was founded in Ukraine in 2023 and is trained in Kiev. Its members are mainly ethnic minorities from Siberia who seek independence from Russia. Their strength is estimated at about 60 men. The commander is former intelligence officer Vladislav Ammosov.

“Liberate the Russian Homeland”

Pro-Ukrainian Russian groups repeatedly appear in the war in Ukraine. In an interview with the Times in 2023, a fighter codenamed “Caesar” explained what weapons the troops should have. “We have mortars, armored vehicles, Stinger missiles, portable anti-tank systems and a very effective drone unit for reconnaissance,” “Caesar” said. This cannot be independently verified.

Moreover, “Caesar” also said that all members of the “Legion of Freedom of Russia” were Russian citizens. “We are not a gang of criminals or a private military company like Wagner. We are fighting within the structure of the Ukrainian armed forces.” Accordingly, they want to “liberate the Russian homeland.”

Source: Blick