The Freedom of Russia Legion, which also claims to be involved, portrays themselves as Russians fighting for Ukraine and Putin.
On its site, the legion states that it was founded last spring by “Russians who wanted to fight against Putin’s armed gang within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
The group is calling on Russian officers and soldiers to join the fight for “Free Russia.”
The group claims that it is officially recognized by the Ukrainian army and is fighting in Bakhmut, among other places, “under the command of the Ukrainian military”.
The Supreme Court of Russia banned the group as a terrorist organisation in March.
The site of the Legion does not reveal the names of any leaders or individuals affiliated with it. A man named “Caesar”, however, has been featured in videos posted on the group channel as its de-facto spokesperson.
In a video posted on Telegram by the Legion on Monday, he declared that “we are Russians just like you” and condemned the corruption of Putin and his crackdown on civil liberties. “We are returning home,” he declared.
The Legion stated in March that Russia had started a criminal investigation against “Caesar” without identifying the real name of this person.
State news agency Tass said Wednesday that authorities were searching for Maximillian Andronnikov. It identified him as a member an ultranationalist group. He was said to be suspected of belonging to the Legion group which penetrated Belgorod.
The Legion has also a strong presence in Telegram where it calls itself “free citizens of Russia” with more than 25 million subscribers.
RVC has vowed, earlier this month, to fight alongside the Legion despite their different ideologies.
“The Russian Volunteer Corps does seem especially heavily drawn from Russian nationalists and neo-Nazis, while the Legion appears less politically-aligned,” Mark Galeotti, who heads the Russia-focused consultancy Mayak Intelligence, told NBC News.
Galeotti stated that “they share the desire to see Putin’s regime fall, and believe that a Ukrainian victory will help to achieve this goal.”
What is their motivation?
Kapustin said to the media near the Russian border that the RVC is not secretive about some of its right-wing members, but he does not think being called a neo Nazi is an insult.
He said: “You won’t find me raising my hand to give a Hitler salute, or waving a flag in the shape of a swastika.”
Kapustin, sporting a goatee in all-black fatigues and announcing a larger operation was planned while wearing a black military uniform and a goatee.
The group claims to recognize Ukraine’s territorial unity and calls Putin’s war on Ukraine “criminal”. It also lists “overthrow the ruling regime in Russia”, as one of its goals.
Alexei Baranovsky told Reuters that the incursion is “the first step in the main goal of overthrowing Putin’s regime by armed force.”
In a Wednesday post on Telegram, the Legion promised to return as soon as possible. The post stated that “Belgorod Bryansk Kursk Voronezh Rostov Moscow – wait for us.”
The manifesto of the group calls Putin’s dictatorship “dictatorial” and declares that they are fighting him for “true freedom for all Russians.” They also call on ethnic Russians as well as minorities to rise up against the Russian leader.
Michael Clarke said that the Freedom of Russia Legion, and the Russian Volunteer Corps were both primarily Russian groups. They are self-styled ‘partisans’ who want to topple the Putin government. These include soccer-thug neo Nazis as well as wannabe celebrity and semi-serious reformers.
Clarke said, “They’re not liberals but hard-line Russian nationalists – just not the Putin variety.”
NBC News contacted both groups for a comment, but neither group responded immediately.
What is their connection with Ukraine?
According to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin doesn’t dispute that some fighters in the incursion last week may be ethnic Russians. However, they see them as “Ukrainian terrorists” who are coming from Ukraine.
Ukraine denies any connection to either group’s actions, claiming that they are “Russian patriots”, who have decided to rise against the Kremlin.
has raised concerns about the extreme views of these groups and the fact that fighters in this week’s raid used American armored cars. Washington has been trying to ensure that equipment that is sent to Kyiv does not end up being used to attack Russian soil. The Kremlin has fabricated a narrative that its war is a struggle against a neo Nazi Western puppet government.
Andriy Yosov told NBC News that the Russian Federation citizens who carried out the attack acted “completely independently” and Ukraine had not coordinated with them.
Kyiv consistently denies responsibility for drone strikes, train derailments, and other incidents which have fuelled unrest in Russia. They are often portrayed as the work by partisans.
Kapustin said that Ukraine “encouraged the group’s action in Belgorod” and they “consult” with Ukraine’s Military on their actions. However, he added, anything they do “outside the country’s boundaries is our own decision.”
Baranovsky of the Legion said that the unit was a part of Ukraine’s International Brigade, but denied that the incursion had been coordinated with Ukrainian authorities.
Experts questioned Kyiv’s claim that the incident was solely a Russian affair.
Galeotti stated that “there’s no doubt really that the Russian volunteers are armed by Ukraine and controlled, specifically GUR (military intelligence).”
“Although Kyiv likes to pretend this was a simple venture by Russian patriots,” he said, referring the intelligence branch of Ukraine’s defense ministry.
