New battalion with solely Russian citizens joins Ukrainian armed forces
Member of the Siberia Battalion from Buryatia. Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg
The Ukrainian regular army now has the "Siberia" battalion among its ranks.
The defense intelligence spokesperson, Andrii Yusov, confirmed in the comment to Hromadske that it was part of the International Legion under the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and consisted entirely of Russian citizens.
Bloomberg earlier reported that the "Siberia" battalion united dozens of Russians and representatives of Russian ethnic minorities who traveled through third countries to join the Ukrainian army.
Siberia Battalion soldiers participated in military exercises near Kyiv on October 24. Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg
According to Bloomberg, unlike volunteer groups such as the Legion of Freedom of Russia, the soldiers of the Siberia Battalion are part of the regular Ukrainian army. They are expected to be sent into battle very soon.
Soldiers of the Siberia Battalion practice shooting during military exercises. Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg
The number at this time is 60 people, and all of them are volunteers. None of them were Russian prisoners of war, an AFU representative told the publication.
Soldiers of the Siberia Battalion take part in military exercises as part of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on October 24. Photo: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg
The Siberia fighters have passed thorough security checks to make sure that they are supporters of Ukraine. After that, the Russians signed a military contract and adopted army callsigns.
Among the battalion's members are, in particular, Yakuts and Buryats, who have declared that they want independence from Russia and see Ukraine's victory in the war as a step towards that goal.
In turn, Ukrainian officials told Bloomberg that they expect to attract more Russian citizens, especially representatives of the country's minorities, to participate in the war on the side of Ukraine.
The press service of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces told Hromadske that the battalion belongs to the sphere of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence. Intelligence representative Andrii Yusov confirmed to us that such a battalion really exists.
On October 24, the Ukrainian forces eliminated another 800 Russian soldiers, making the total losses of Russian troops since the beginning of the full-scale war more than 296,000 soldiers.
Background
Two units consisting of Russian citizens had already joined the Ukrainian forces as volunteers.
The Russian Voluntary Corps (RVC) is a military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, formed in August 2022 to protect Ukraine from a Russian invasion. They are part of the International Legion of the Ukrainian Army. As the RVC commander, Denis Nikitin, reported, they are part of the 98th Azov Dnipro Military District battalion.
Selection for the RVC is made from ethnic Russian emigrants living in Ukraine and other European countries.
The Legion "Freedom of Russia" was formed by Russian servicemen from among prisoners of war. They claim that the legion was created to fight the Putin regime. Prisoners and former Russian servicemen can join the legion.
On Monday, May 22, explosions rang out in the Belgorod Oblast in Russia, which later were revealed in the Ukrainian and Russian media as the arrival of Russian volunteers to this territory.
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said that an operation to "create a security zone" is being conducted in this region exclusively with the participation of Russian citizens.
The Office of the President of Ukraine said that Ukraine had no direct relation to the events in Belgorod but was "observing with interest."
Later, the governor of the Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced that the authorities had terminated the "counter-terrorist operation regime" in the region. At the same time, the press service of the Legion, "Freedom of Russia," informed the public that their operation on the territory of the Russian Federation continues, and the volunteers allegedly even managed to destroy a motorized rifle company.
In a comment to Suspilne on May 23, Yusov, the intelligence spokesman, confirmed that the operation of the Legion and RVC on the territory of Russia was ongoing.
On May 25, the "Russian Volunteer Corps" stated that the RVC fighters had again entered the territory of Russia. Russian volunteers published the corresponding video on their Telegram channel.
