Paramilitary groups are attacking the Russian city of Belgorod. Now the leaders spoke to the press. Ukraine assures that it was not involved in the action.
Munich – With their attacks, they attracted a lot of attention this week: the members of the "Russian Volunteer Corps" and the "Legion Freedom for Russia". The two organizations, classified as paramilitary groups, fought this week near Belgorod, a city in southwestern Russia, and crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border in the process.
For a long time, it was only possible to speculate about the exact goal of the two groups, but now they met with journalists for talks in northeastern Ukraine. The exact location of the meeting must remain secret, that was the condition for the conversation, reports the Tagesschau.
Denis Kapustin, head of the "Russian Volunteer Corps", is best known for the creation of the neo-Nazi fashion label "White Rex". "I'm quite traditional, right-wing conservative. I don't understand why that's an insult in the world these days," Kapustin told ARD.
Paramilitary groups: support from Kyiv?
Born in Russia, he came to Germany in the early 2000s and later returned to his home country. Kapustin now lives in Ukraine.
He told of the founding of the "Russian Volunteer Corps" in August 2022 – and how it receives support from the Ukrainian army in the form of gasoline, medicine, information, food and even caring for the wounded. According to him, all actions within the state borders of Ukraine are coordinated with the Ukrainian military.
When a journalist asked about the origin of the weapons, Kapustin replied, according to Tagesschau: "The weapons are our weapons if we get them on Ukrainian soil. Are these Ukrainian weapons? Or our weapons? It's hard to say."
After attacks in Belgorod: White House examines whether US was involved in fighting
With the actions of his "Russian Volunteer Corps", he wants to prove to the Russian population "that it is possible to fight against a tyrant", as the English-language Ukrainian online medium The Kyiv Independent reports.
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While Kapustin claimed to cooperate with the Ukrainian military, he stressed that his organization had not received any equipment or weapons from Western countries. The White House said it was now investigating whether "U.S. equipment and vehicles may have been involved in the fighting within Russia's borders," reports The Kyiv Independent.
He spoke to journalists this week: Denis Kapustin, head of the "Russian Volunteer Corps". © IMAGO/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy
The group continues to receive many applications, especially since Moscow's announcement of mobilization in September 2022. "When the mobilization began in Russia, we received 200 applications a day," Kapustin said, according to The Kyiv Independent. The age of the fighters ranges from 19 years to mid-forties.
Leader "Legion Freedom for Russia": "We are a peacekeeping force"
The deputy commander of the "Legion Freedom for Russia" also spoke to journalists at the event in northeastern Ukraine. For Maximilian Andronnikov, better known as Caesar, the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine is a tragedy, as he said, according to Tagesschau reports.
"We are liberators, peace-loving, concerned Russian citizens and liberators of our homeland. We are defending Ukraine and have been fighting in and around Bakhmut for several months. Above all, we want to protect Ukraine from the aggression of our country," Andronnikov said, as reported by the Tagesschau. According to The Kyiv Independent, the "Legion of Freedom for Russia" was founded back in March 2022.
Andronnikov stressed that the Legion is a peacekeeping force whose goal is to help Kyiv win the Ukraine war. Destabilizing Russia is not in the interest of his group, Andronnikov said, according to The Kyiv Independent. "I want Russia to stop bombing Ukraine, I just want Russia and Ukraine to live in peace," the 49-year-old St. Petersburg native told The Kyiv Independent.
Kiev calls groups an "armed guerrilla movement" and denies support
In March of this year, the Supreme Court of Russia recognized the "Legion of Freedom for Russia" as a "terrorist organization" whose activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation, reports The Kyiv Independent with reference to the Russian news agency Interfax.
Both Andronnikov and Kapustin announced that there would be further actions in the future. No Ukrainian soldiers were involved in the attacks in the Belgorod region, according to Kyiv. They have nothing to do with the "armed guerrilla movement," assured presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, according to Tagesschau sources.
While paramilitary groups are attacking in the Russian city of Belgorod, Russian President Vladimir Putin is waiting for a call from Olaf Scholz from Germany.
