Ukrainian Armed Forces form Siberia battalion from Russian volunteers seeking to overthrow the Kremlin regime
The Ukrainian Armed Forces formed the Siberia battalion, which includes Russians and representatives of ethnic minorities in Russia. They are ready to fight against the invasion of dictator Putin.
The Siberia battalion has brought together dozens of Russians and members of ethnic minorities in Russia who traveled through third countries because they wanted to join the Ukrainian army, according to officials at their training camp.
It includes people from groups such as the Yakuts and Buryats from Russia’s vast Eastern Siberia region, who have said they want independence from Russia and see Ukraine’s victory in the war as a step toward that goal.
“If people want to fight for Ukraine, for our borders, for the collapse of this Russian Soviet regime, why not? It’s their choice, and it shows that not all Russians support Putin,” said their Ukrainian instructor and commander, who goes by the call sign Batya.
Unlike volunteer groups such as the Russian Freedom Legion, which have declared their support for Ukraine, the soldiers are part of the regular Ukrainian army and expect to be sent into combat very soon.
Ukraine has said it hopes to attract more Russian citizens, especially members of national minorities, to participate in the war against Putin. Soldiers of the Siberia battalion underwent a thorough security check to ensure that they were supporters of Ukraine, then signed a military contract, adopting army call signs to protect their identity.
“All members of the 60-member battalion are volunteers, and none of them were recruited from among Russian prisoners of war. The Ukrainian military plans to speed up the background checks, which can take up to a year, to encourage more Russians to join their ranks,” said a Ukrainian army spokesman.
