Global InformationFreedom of Russia Legion information
| Freedom of Russia Legion | |
|---|---|
| Легион «Свобода России» (Russian) Легіон «Свобода Росії» (Ukrainian) | |
 Unit patch | |
| Founded | 10 March 2022 |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Allegiance |  Irpin Declaration (alleged)[by whom?] |
| Branch | Territorial Defense Forces (Ukraine) |
| Type | Foreign volunteer legion |
| Size | Two battalions (as claimed by the Legion)[1][2] |
| Motto(s) | "For Russia! For freedom!" (Russian: За Россию! За свободу!) and "Russia will be free!" (Russian: Россия будет свободной!)[3] |
| Colors | White-blue-white |
| March | "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya"[4] |
| Engagements |
|
| Website | https://legionliberty.army/ |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Unknown Maximilian Andronnikov (speaker) |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |   |
The Freedom of Russia Legion[i] (FRL, Russian: Легион «Свобода России», romanized: Legion "Svoboda Rossii"; Ukrainian: Легіон «Свобода Росії», romanized: Lehion "Svoboda Rosii"; abbr. ЛСР, romanized: LSR), also called the Free Russia Legion,[11][12] is a Ukrainian-based paramilitary unit of Russian citizens, which opposes the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin and its invasion of Ukraine.[13] It was formed in March 2022 and is reportedly part of Ukraine's International Legion.[1][14] It consists of defectors from the Russian Armed Forces, and other Russian volunteers, some of whom had emigrated to Ukraine.[15][16] It is one of several such units participating in the Russo-Ukrainian War on behalf of Ukraine.[17]
Since 22 May 2023, the Legion has launched cross-border raids into the Belgorod region of Russia, alongside the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC)[9][18] and the Sibir Battalion.[19]
- ^ a b "Switching Sides: The Elusive 'Russian Legion' Fighting With Ukraine". The Moscow Times. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ NEXTA [@nexta_tv] (July 31, 2022). "Legion Freedom of #Russia declared that its unit now consists of two battalions. https://t.co/itOxdxgU7P" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Белгородская область | Легион Свобода России" [Belgorod region | Legion Freedom of Russia]. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-01 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Поднятие флага [Raising the flag]. Легион "Свобода России". 21 December 2022. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Davis, Charles R. "Russian opposition group posts video of what appears to be an antiwar flag above Moscow following purported cross-border raid". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ Hodge, Rob; Picheta, Nathan (2023-05-23). "Anti-Putin Russians say they launched a cross-border attack from Ukraine. Here's what we know". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ Coles, Isabel; Trofimov, Yaroslav (7 April 2022). "Belarusians, Russians Join Ukraine's Military, Hoping for Freedom at Home". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
While the Belarusian opposition has long been inspired by Ukraine's resistance to Russia and attempts to impose authoritarian rule, the arrival of Russians willing to fight against their own compatriots is relatively new. The uniforms of the Freedom for Russia unit have the white-blue-white patch, in the colors of a new Russian flag favored by some opponents of Mr. Putin.
- ^ Johnson, Sabrina (9 April 2022). "Russians 'who want to fight Putin in Ukraine' given own battalion". Metro (British newspaper). Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
poleur20230522was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ukrainian "sabotage" units engage Russian troops in the Belgorod Oblast". Georgia Today. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "Putin's Deserters Poised to Fight Against Him on Front Lines". Newsweek. 13 February 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Has Ukraine launched a 'special military operation' in Russia?". The Spectator. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ Cole, Brendan (30 March 2022). "Former Russian Soldiers Join Ukraine Against Putin's Invasion, Kyiv Says". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "International Legion fights for Ukraine, democratic values". Kyiv Post. 5 July 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Охочих вступити до легіону "Свобода Росії" багато — представник легіону" [Many people want to join the Freedom of Russia Legion – a representative of the Legion]. Інтерфакс-Україна (Interfax-Ukraine) (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYtimeswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "ukraine-s-army-enlists-russians-eager-to-fight-and-defeat-putin". www.bloomberg.com. 2023-10-24. Archived from the original on 2023-10-25 – via web.archive.org.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ynews20230522was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Russian Resistance Destroys Russian Armored Vehicles in Belgorod Oblast". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-roman> tags or {{efn-lr}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-roman}} template or {{notelist-lr}} template (see the help page).