The Supreme Court recognized the Legion “Freedom of Russia” * as a terrorist organization and banned it from the territory of the Russian Federation. On this subject informed “Interfax” in reference to the court.
Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov filed an application with the Supreme Court to recognize the “Freedom of Russia” Legion* as a terrorist organization on February 6. The Prosecutor General’s Office noted that the Legion was created in Ukraine “with the aim of undermining the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, overthrowing the government of the country, including by committing terrorist acts, which constitute a threat to the security of society and the state.”
According to law enforcement, the Freedom Legion of Russia* was established in March 2022 by decree of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , reports Interfax. According to the security forces, the legion was created with the aim of recruiting Russians to participate in the military conflict alongside the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU). New fighters in the ranks of the legion are recruited on social networks, among Russian prisoners of war and through campaigns, according to law enforcement.
The “Russian Freedom” Legion is a unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces which, according to its members, is made up of Russians. The first mention of him appeared in March 2022, after three weeks of hostilities in Ukraine. In early April, a press conference was held at the Interfax-Ukraine office by the military, who claimed to be members of the Legion. They said they entered the legion after being in Ukrainian captivity. Some fighters of the legion later noted that they joined it voluntarily, not being Russian soldiers.
Part of the Russian opposition expresses doubts about the existence of the legion. However, the fighters of the “Russian Freedom” Legion * appeared in the reports of the American newspaper The New York Times , Vot Tak publications and Ukrainian TV channels. That the legion exists is also insisted by former off-staff adviser to the Ukrainian President’s office Oleksiy Arestovich. Publicly, the “Freedom of Russia” Legion* is represented by former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev**, who received Ukrainian citizenship in 2019.
In mid-December 2022, 21-year-old Russian Savely Frolov, who tried to enter Georgia in October, was charged with preparing a defection to the enemy (Part 1, Article 30, Article 275 of the Criminal Code) for having allegedly been going to join the “Legion” Freedom of Russia “”*.
In addition to the “Russian Freedom” Legion *, at least one other military formation of Russians is known to fight on the side of Ukraine – the “Russian Volunteer Corps” (RDK). In early March, RDK fighters committed sabotage in the Bryansk region. On March 15, Rosfinmonitoring added RDK commander Denis Kapustin to the list of terrorists and extremists.
- recognized as a terrorist and banned in Russia
** recognized as a foreign agent
