The Supreme Court recognized the Legion “Freedom of Russia” as a terrorist organization

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the Legion “Freedom of Russia” as a terrorist organization, a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine formed by Russian volunteers. Now its activities are banned in the country, reports TASS.

Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov demanded that the Legion be recognized as a terrorist. This was stated in the lawsuitThe organization was created “in order to undermine the foundations of the constitutional system of Russia and overthrow the government in the country by carrying out terrorist acts.”

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Legion of Freedom of Russia was created in March 2022 by order of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in order to recruit Russians who want to fight on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The siloviki believe that one of the organization’s consultants is former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev. Previously, he was considered a “foreign agent” and included in the list of “terrorists and extremists”. Ponomarev himself said that “Legion started as a PR initiative, but then turned into a real force.”

In February, the New York Times published a report on the organization. Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukrainian military intelligence, told the newspaper that the Legion is commanded by Ukrainian officers, and that joining it requires a comprehensive check, including a lie detector. Some members of the unit lived in Ukraine before the invasion, others came later, wanting to fight on its side.

The exact number of militants is “secret”, he said Moscow Times former Russian soldier turned legionnaire. He claimed that about 300 applications for membership are submitted every day. The organization itself reported August approx the creation of two battalions – this could potentially mean more than 1,000 fighters.

As a symbol, the association uses a white-blue-white flag, proposed by Russians protesting against the war as an alternative to the tricolor flag. One of the goals of the “Legion” is the liberation of the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Some commentators pointed to the lack of independent confirmation of the actual participation of the unit in the fighting. Political scientist Fyodor Krashennikov also pointed out that real “saboteurs” do not give interviews and do not allow themselves to be photographed with open faces.

However, all this does not prevent the security forces from prosecuting the Russians for their alleged connection with the organization. So, in June, security forces detained 27-year-old Nikolai Ochlopkov in Yakutsk. Also Savely Frolov, a 21-year-old Muscovite, was arrested for allegedly preparing to join the unit.

In addition, the security forces conducted searches at the moderators of the Telegram channel of the same name. The public reported that the former head of Gazprombank Igor Volobuyev, who left to defend Ukraine after the start of the war, joined the Legion “Freedom of Russia”.