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Kyiv, Ukraine – When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, 31-year-old Johnny, from St Petersburg, set himself a objective.
He wished to overthrow Vladimir Putin’s administration.
The truth is, he would have appreciated to kill the Russian president along with his personal arms, he instructed Al Jazeera in a restaurant at a distant petrol station on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital.
In October, Johnny joined different Russians fighting for Ukraine and towards their homeland as a part of the Siberian Battalion, a unit fashioned final summer time by the Civic Council, a Russian opposition group primarily based in Poland.
“We need to democratise Russia. And it gained’t be attainable within the present state. Russia should collapse into smaller items. I don’t care if it’s going to be small like Belgium. … Locations like Yakutia and Chechnya and different areas ought to be capable to secede in the event that they select to,” Johnny mentioned.
In accordance with Denis Sokolov, 54, the group’s coordinator, 50 fighters from the unit are presently in coaching or combating in Ukraine. One other 40 are being checked over by Ukraine’s safety providers as they wait to cross the border.
He mentioned there are literally thousands of different Russians keen to affix the combat towards Moscow, boasting that the Civic Council receives as much as 10 functions per day.
Those that need to enroll should first depart for a 3rd nation for security causes. And from there, it takes months to course of an software.
“Ukrainians don’t belief Russians, and there are causes for this. However this struggle was unleashed by the regime in our identify, and we’re obliged to finish it,” Sokolov mentioned.
On the time of publishing, neither Polish nor Ukrainian authorities had responded to Al Jazeera’s request for touch upon the Civil Council and Siberian Battalion.
Because the onset of the struggle, a whole bunch of Russians have turned on their nation and bolstered Ukraine’s forces.
In accordance with the Worldwide Disaster Group, their motives are various.
“A lot of the recruits from the Russian Federation hail from the North Caucasus – majority-Muslim areas which have a protracted historical past of advocating for separation from the central authorities,” the group mentioned in October.
“There are additionally, nevertheless, ethnic Russians combating on behalf of Ukraine. Some are merely sympathetic to the Ukrainian trigger or see becoming a member of it as part of their very own battle towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Others, nevertheless, are far-right activists who hope the struggle will finish with not simply the collapse of Putin’s authorities but in addition the creation of a brand new, ethnically homogeneous Russian state.”
The far-right fighters, the suppose tank mentioned, are the “most battle-ready of the Russian models”.
Russian troops are formally a part of Ukraine’s worldwide legion, combating with the permission of its defence ministry, and utilizing Ukraine’s weaponry.
In accordance with Russian legislation, the definition of excessive treason was prolonged in April to incorporate combating for enemies – against the law that might lead to life imprisonment.
In distinction, the Kremlin has reportedly provided citizenship to foreigners who select to combat alongside Russian forces.
Johnny, which is a nom de guerre he adopted after becoming a member of the unit, waited for seven months to enter Ukraine.
He contacted the Civic Council in March when the group was serving to recruit fighters for the Russian Volunteer Corps, a far-right unit behind incursions into Russia in March and May.
The 2 teams have since parted methods.
The Civic Council determined to type a brand new, extra inclusive unit that may settle for non-white and non-Christian Russian residents.
The Siberian Battalion is made up of an array of individuals and teams, together with anarchists, Muslims and members of the Free Ingria Motion combating for the liberation of the St Petersburg area.
“Individuals are totally different. We’re of various ages. Our values differ. However all of us need to defeat Russia. And we imagine that that is attainable solely by armed means,” mentioned Johnny, who has not instructed his household about his combating or whereabouts.
The Siberian Battalion was named after the huge Russian area wealthy in pure sources, stretching from the Ural Mountains within the west to the Pacific Ocean within the east.
“We perceive that every one of Moscow’s wealth comes from Siberia and that Moscow – and the remainder of Russia – dwell off of Siberian cash,” Sokolov mentioned.
“Taking these sources away from the regime is vital as a result of, first, with out them the empire can be much less aggressive. Secondly, the peoples of Siberia have the precise to handle their sources independently, not simply Indigenous peoples, however everybody who lives in Siberia.”
The Siberian Battalion accepts individuals from different areas too, like 26-year-old Sizy, the unit’s medic-in-training who was born in Moscow.
The previous customs official, who additionally ran his personal enterprise, arrived in Ukraine on the identical day as Johnny and heard in regards to the Civic Council when the organisation was recruiting for the Russian Volunteer Corps.
However Siziy, which is a nom de guerre that means “gray blue” in Russian, doesn’t affiliate with far-right nationalism.
In April 2022, he transformed to Islam.
His dad and mom came upon about his choice when he was already in Ukraine. He has lower contact with everybody he knew in Russia.
Whereas it was not straightforward to just accept that her solely youngster went to struggle, Siziy mentioned, his mom has not protested towards his choice.
“Everybody makes selections for themselves. I realised that there’s something extra vital than materials wealth on this life,” Siziy mentioned. “If there’s one factor to die for, it’s freedom. And Ukraine is combating for existence.”
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