Freedom of Russia Legion
Ukrainian military unit formed of Russian defectors / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Freedom of Russia Legion[lower-roman 1] (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]
Freedom of Russia Legion | |
---|---|
Легион «Свобода России» (Russian) Легіон «Свобода Росії» (Ukrainian) | |
Founded | 10 March 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-10) |
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 |
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]