Fighters in the battalion from eastern Siberia hope a Ukrainian victory will bring them one step closer to dismantling Moscow's political control over their region, among the poorest in. Amidst these competing narratives, domestic opposition to the war within Russia has faced intense crackdowns, forcing some to flee the country. It is against this backdrop that the Siberian. The Siberian Battalion was the third unit established by Ukraine for Russian nationals who want to join the fight against the Kremlin. The battalion was meant primarily for ethnic minorities coming from Siberia, including Buryats, Yakuts, Tuvans, and others. Unlike other volunteer units in Ukraine that have Russian nationals — such as the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps — the Siberian Battalion is officially part of the regular Ukrainian army. Since 2022, there have been an increasing number of reports of Russian soldiers defecting to Ukraine. Some now serve with the RDK, a Ukrainian paramilitary group initially formed in August 2022. The big picture: The Siberian Battalion is a unit of the regular Ukrainian army that consists of Russians who have renounced their allegiance to Moscow and sworn loyalty to Kyiv. They are mostly from ethnic minorities in Russia’s far east, who face discrimination and repression under Putin’s regime. Formed in 2023, the Siberian Battalion consists of Russian volunteers battling their homeland under Ukraine’s flag. In Russia, unlike in Ukraine, there is currently no open mobilization. Alarm was raised in June when a video filmed in the Penza region, about 340 miles east of Moscow, went viral showing the wives of several men locked inside a minibus trying to stop the vehicle from leaving a recruitment center bound for the war. Members of this unit include Russians, Yakuts, and Buryats, who see Ukraine's victory as an opportunity to gain independence or wide autonomy from Russia. [4] Before signing a contract, citizens of the Russian Federation undergo a thorough inspection, which can last up to a year. A group of Russian citizens from Siberia have joined Ukraine's military ranks to fight against their own country.