“The alliance of the Ukrainians and the Russians fighting Putin is forged in blood.” This is stated by Denis Sokolov, in charge of recruiting Russians willing to fight under the orders of the Central Intelligence Directorate (GUR, for its acronym in Ukrainian) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Russian fighters claim to have participated in recent raids on Belgorod, a Russian province bordering Ukraine.
Originally from Saint Petersburg, Sokolov worked as an anthropologist in the Caucasus before going into exile. Today he acts from a platform called the Citizen Council (CC), where he coordinates the reception and transfer of Russians who wish to enlist in the so-called International Legion of Ukraine.
From Warsaw, Sokolov spoke with this journalist through a social network, the same one that the CC openly uses for recruitment. The statements of this activist in favor of the armed struggle provide a glimpse into the internal relations of the volunteer groups and his links with the GUR. The data on the number of members of the armed Russian contingents and the chain of transmission of orders in which they are inserted are difficult to verify. The denominations of “battalion”, “regiment” or “corps”, on the other hand, do not allow us to determine the number of people they bring together.
The International Legion of Ukraine, subordinated to the GUR, consists of units of diverse origin, among them from the countries of the former USSR, such as Georgia or Belarus. Those from Russia, to a large extent, have joined the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK, for its acronym in Russian).
But “the RDK left the Citizen Council by mutual agreement, because it did not comply with the principles of the manifesto that we had signed [el respeto a la Convención Europea de Derechos Humanos]”, says Sokolov, who does not want to delve into the discrepancies. He admits, however, that these had to do “with the attitude of that body towards Muslims, towards other nationalities, and towards sexual minorities”. The founder of the RDK is Denis Kapustin (also called Denis Nikitin), a far-right activist who is banned from the Schengen area.
Due to his ideology, the RDK rejected Vladislav Amósov, a former officer of the Russian Armed Forces, of Yakut origin (titular ethnic group of the Siberian Republic of Sakha-Yakutia)”, explains Sokolov. Hence, the “Siberian battalion” was formed, led by Amósov, and which also included Ildar Dadin, the first activist sentenced to prison in Russia (in 2015) for violating the rules of rallies and pickets.
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“The extreme right attitude of the RDK is dissuasive, even for right-wing volunteers, not to mention liberals,” in Sokolov’s opinion. “Russian fascism has relegated Russian nationalism to the periphery and prevents the formation of a national and regional identity acceptable to the majority of Russian society,” he notes.
Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to President Volodimir Zelensky, has distanced himself from armed incursions into Russia. According to him, the participating Russians had already concluded their contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The adviser admitted, however, that the Russians use the terrain of Ukraine for their activities.
Sokolov is reticent before the so-called Russian “democratic forces” that, from exile, declare themselves against the war. The leaders of these groups, he points out, are linked to the exiled Russian oligarchs, who “maintain their relations with members of the Security services, with officials of the Justice and Administration apparatus and believe that the future of Russia will be the result of a schism in the elite in power”.
The incursions in Belgorod, which forced the evacuation of several Russian border towns, showed, according to Sokolov, that “the Russian command mechanism is very slow”, that “it lacks human resources” and that “it does not care to bomb its own cities and towns”.
The Siberian Battalion
The Siberian battalion is already “a full combat unit” built on political, regional and national principles”, he comments, and “it will be completed as volunteers from the different regions of Siberia arrive”. He is supported, he says, by “small and medium businessmen and exiled professionals who pay for training and maintenance.” His model is that of “a popular army of volunteers similar to the territorial defense battalions that emerged in 2014 in Ukraine.”
“Initially, the only enlistment option was the RDK, but now the vast majority of recruitment requests go to the Siberian battalion, which accepts people from other Russian regions. From the point of view of a broad political-military project, the Siberian battalion is the one with the most prospects”.
I can’t say how many [los integrantes del batallón de Siberia]”, it states. Pressed, Sokolov adds that the goal of 300 has not been reached yet. For the “many more who want to come”, he explains, the main problem is transit from Russia to Ukraine via third countries. If that is solved, the number of volunteers would be much higher”.
But it is not only about twisted routes, but also about the mistrust of the Ukrainians towards whom they see as a suspicious contingent. “Once approved, the volunteers receive weapons, equipment and salary, according to their contract,” adds Sokolov. “Their level of preparation differs, there are those with military experience and there are those without it. For exiled Liberal Democrats, “the road from the couch to the trench is a bit longer, though many walk it.” “There is a very substantial difference between those who fight and the politicians and ex-oligarchs who “manipulate the democratic sectors in exile and who see armed resistance as a matter of mercenaries, terrorists and traitors”. The position of the latter is to “let Ukraine win and then build a democracy through elections.” “Our volunteers are very different, very young, people who put their convictions and their freedom above life and comfort”, he asserts.
“Europeans fear that Russia will disintegrate. No one wants to see directly that the State of the Russian Federation no longer exists, that it is a failed state. Whether he wins the war or not, Russia will collapse as a state and internecine wars will begin. You have to think about what to build instead of this monster,” she says.
“The alternative is decided at the front,” he says, but “the time has not yet come.” “The attitude of the Ukrainians towards us is forged in blood and we will be able to say that we are allies when they understand that each of the Russian fallen is a Ukrainian life saved. Ukrainians will be ready to see other Russians when other Russians appear, when there is an alternative project [en Rusia]”. “Ukraine needs us because it lacks people, because we are its reserve. Ukraine needs the Russians, but other Russians, ready to die for their freedom.”
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