Freedom of Russia Legion declared a terrorist group by Russian Supreme Court

It's easy to think that in Russia, the government has absolute control of the population. But not all Russians agree with Vladimir Putin or the war in Ukraine.

A new, unlikely group of fighters has formed in Ukraine to assist the Ukrainian military in its fight against Putin: The Freedom of Russia Legion.

Photo: Instagram@freedomlegionrussia

According to RIA Novosti and reported by The Moscow Times, on March 16th Russia's Supreme Court granted a motion made by Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov to label the Freedom of Russia Legion a terrorist organization.

According to the Moscow Times, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office argued that the Freedom of Russia Legion was established to "overthrow the government," leading the Supreme Court to recognize it as a terrorist organization.

As a result, Russian citizens who join the group now face up to 20 years in jail, though those fighting alongside the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already been subject to criminal prosecution.

Photo: Telegram@legionoffreedom

In January, a 22-year-old man was sentenced to five years of hard labor for attempting to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, and around 20 Legion members are currently under investigation, according to TASS.

In response to the Supreme Court's decision, the Freedom of Russia Legion wrote in a post on Telegram, which when translated into English via Google read, "Funny. The terrorist country turns the tables and stubbornly fights all expressions of free thought."

The Legion then ended the post adding, "By the way, in the Legion we long ago recognized the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation as a terrorist organization and we are happy to "deterrorize" it!"

Photo: Telegram@legionoffreedom

The Freedom of Russia Legion is made up of defectors of the Russian Armed Forces along with Russian and Belarusian volunteers who do not have military training but wish to do their part to help Ukraine.

The Freedom of Russia Legion was formed in March 2022 from a Russian army company consisting of around 100 soldiers who voluntarily defected to the Ukrainian side when the war broke out.

Photo: Instagram@freedomlegionrussia

According to The Moscow Times, in July 2022, the legion claimed that it had two “fully manned battalions,” which in theory means that the group could have more than 1,000 troops.

However, according to more recent media reports, while the exact number of fighters in the organization is kept confidential some estimates suggest figures as high as 4,000.

Tsezar, a 50-year-old self-described "Russian nationalist" from St. Petersburg, stated in an interview with Radio Free Europe's Russian Service that he had joined the "second battalion" of the legion, and that the "third and fourth battalions" were now being established. The number of troops in a battalion varies from country to country, but it typically comprises several hundred to up to 1,000 soldiers.

Photo: Telegram@legionoffreedom

To identify themselves, members of the legion use a white-blue-white flag on their sleeves and a distinctive patch their wear to represent themselves, as seen here.

Photo: Instagram@freedomlegionrussia

In an article in Georgia Today about the Freedom of Russia Legion, the author talks about the significance of the blue and white flag for group members.

The author of the article wrote that the blue and white flag is the Russian flag without the red, "Many in the opposition see the Russian flag as a sign of imperialism, militarism, and authoritarianism, the red bar being a key part of this."

In March 2022, the first volunteers for the Freedom of Russia Legion began their preliminary training with instruction from members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In May 2022, the Berliner Zeitung reported that The Freedom of Russia Legion was fighting on the frontline with the Ukraine Armed Forces in the Donbas. The German publication also wrote that the group also organizes sabotage acts and arson inside Russia.

The Freedom of Russia Legion first caught the general public's eye when Igor Volobuyev, the former vice-chairman of Gazprombank, shared that he had joined the Legion of Freedom of Russia and gave an interview about his choice to The Guardian.

However, many are Russian soldiers who were caught up in a war they were against. A 26-year-old who used the name "Arni" spoke to the Moscow Times regarding his decision to swap sides saying, “I ended up in this war anyway. I thought I would either die as an occupier and murderer or die with a good conscience. So I switched sides."

The legion's primary goals are to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine and take down Vladimir Putin's regime.

Not much is known about this group, but The Odessa Journal published a conversation between Mark Feygin, a Russian human rights activist, and Aleksey Arestovich, the adviser to the head of the President's Office. Arestovich shared information about the work of the legion.

Photo: By Yeremeev.d - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118076053

Arestovich told the publication that The Freedom of Russia Legion's numbers are growing, saying, "The number of applications to the Legion, including the Russian army, is off the scale."

Photo: Freedom of Russian Legion/YouTube

On May 4, 2022, a Russian representative of the group spoke at a press conference organized by Ukraine's Interfax news agency about the kind of recruits the Freedom of Russia Legion is receiving: "There are a lot of people who want to (join)."

Another legion member said, "Our legion also includes our Belarusian brothers. Our legion includes active and retired military of the Russian Federation and otherwise. People come from different countries to fight the Putin regime."

However, joining The Freedom of Russia Legion isn't easy. Arestovich told The Odessa Journal they have a thorough screening process for potential candidates who even have to undergo a double polygraph test to be admitted into the legion.

The Moscow Times reported that the Freedom of Russia Legion admits to recruiting new members from POW camp in Ukraine. The group has shared videos on social media of Russian prisoners pledging allegiance to the legion. However, as the news outlet writes, it remains unknown if these POW did so under duress.

Arestovich also told the publication that he believes that the Kremlin is fully aware of the existence of the legion, and Putin may be getting nervous.

U.S. News reported that the unit had posted multiple videos on its Telegram channel that show The Freedom of Russia Legion soldiers capturing Russians operating in Ukraine.

On May 9, 2022, at the end of his speech, Putin said, "For Russia, for victory." Arestovich told The Odessa Journal that he believes that was Putin's way of taking over The Freedom of Russia Legion's slogan, which is "For Russia, for freedom."

Arestovich went on to say, "...no matter how Vladimir Vladimirovich tries to block the slogan that is already spreading throughout Russia, an attempt to oppose something to it – it seems that the legion has already got everyone and everyone in the Kremlin are afraid of it."

Some believe that the existence of the Freedom of Russia Legion is a sign that the Kremlin is losing control over Russians. According to Georgia Today, blue and white "Legion" graffities have been seen throughout Russia.

Photo: Instagram@freedomlegionrussia

As has the "L" symbol, which also represents the group, and it is painted in protest to the "Z" symbol, which represents the Kremlin and the war in Ukraine.

Photo: Instagram@freedomlegionrussia

The Kremlin toughed treason laws in July 2022 and those who fight against Russia “in an armed conflict, hostilities, or other actions” can now be jailed for up to 20 years. Perhaps this new law indicates that the Freedom of Russia Legion is making Putin nervous after all.

U.S. News reported that those who understand the inner workings of the Kremlin told the publication that "...the bill reflects growing concern among Russian elites of the rates of defectors on the battlefield in Ukraine, along with reports that hundreds are volunteering to join specialized units in the Ukrainian army composed of disaffected Russian citizens."