In February 2022, Johnny from St. Petersburg, motivated by a desire to overthrow Putin’s administration, joined the Siberian Battalion in Ukraine.
The Civic Council, a Russian opposition group based in Poland, formed this unit to fight for democracy and the breakup of Russia.
Currently, 50 fighters are in training or battling, with 40 awaiting clearance from Ukraine’s security services. Many Russians, disillusioned with Moscow, are joining the fight for various reasons, including ethnic and far-right motivations. The Siberian Battalion, officially part of Ukraine’s international legion, challenges Moscow using Ukraine’s weaponry.
Despite facing charges of high treason, Russians fighting for Ukraine find refuge, while the Kremlin offers citizenship to foreigners supporting its forces. Johnny, now part of the Siberian Battalion, emphasizes the importance of reclaiming Siberian resources to weaken the regime. Siziy, a former customs official turned medic-in-training, joined for freedom and converted to Islam in support of Ukraine’s fight.
“We want to democratise Russia. And it won’t be possible in the current state. Russia must fall apart into smaller pieces. I don’t care if it’s going to be small like Belgium. … Places like Yakutia and Chechnya and other regions should be able to secede if they choose to,” Johnny said.
“Ukrainians do not trust Russians, and there are reasons for this. But this war was unleashed by the regime in our name, and we are obliged to end it,” Sokolov said.
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“Most of the recruits from the Russian Federation hail from the North Caucasus – majority-Muslim regions that have a long history of advocating for separation from the central government,” the group said in October.
“There are also, however, ethnic Russians fighting on behalf of Ukraine. Some are simply sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause or see joining it as a part of their own struggle against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Others, however, are far-right activists who hope the war will end with not just the collapse of Putin’s government but also the creation of a new, ethnically homogeneous Russian state.”
“We understand that all of Moscow’s wealth comes from Siberia and that Moscow – and the rest of Russia – live off of Siberian money,” Sokolov said.
“Taking these resources away from the regime is important because, first, without them the empire will be less aggressive. Secondly, the peoples of Siberia have the right to manage their resources independently, not just Indigenous peoples, but everyone who lives in Siberia.”
“Everyone makes decisions for themselves. I realised that there is something more important than material wealth in this life,” Siziy said. “If there’s one thing to die for, it is freedom. And Ukraine is fighting for existence.”
“Everyone makes decisions for themselves. I realised that there is something more important than material wealth in this life,” Siziy said. “If there’s one thing to die for, it is freedom. And Ukraine is fighting for existence.”
