Lyudmila Zhernovskaya01:34, 25.10.23

Journalists visited the fighters’ training base.

The Siberia battalion has been formed in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which consists entirely of citizens of the Russian Federation .

As  Bloomberg writes , the battalion includes dozens of Russians and representatives of ethnic minorities of the Russian Federation who came to Ukraine to join the ranks of the Ukrainian army. Among them are the Yakuts and Buryats, who view Ukraine’s victory as an opportunity to gain independence from Russia.

It is known that before signing a contract, citizens of the Russian Federation undergo a thorough check, which can last up to a year. Captured Russian soldiers are not recruited into the battalion.

“We must destroy the Kremlin regime. I want Yakutia to be a free democratic country, it is a very rich country, but the people there are so poor. Only government officials who serve Putin prosper,” says a 29-year-old Yakut with the call sign Vargan.

“I felt that as a Russian I was responsible for this. I understand that I could be killed in the first battle, but for me it is much more scary to feel that I am an accomplice to the evil that comes from my country,” said the 41-year-old journalist from the Moscow region with the call sign Gandhi. 

“Russia is an empire that must collapse so that people in different parts of the largest country in the world can decide for themselves how to live,” says Martin, a 29-year-old engineer from Moscow.

What else is known about the “Siberian Battalion”

Let us recall that in the spring it was reported that ex-Russian intelligence officer Vladislav Ammosov defected to Ukraine . The man is from Yakutsk; he served for more than 15 years in the Russian Army and its special services, and also fought in the Second Chechen War.

He said that after the start of a full-scale invasion, he came to Ukraine along with fellow citizens who want to fight on the side of the Ukrainians. Then it became known about the creation of the “Siberian Battalion”.

(C)UNIAN 2023