The leader of a Russian opposition group has announced that he has thousands of volunteers waiting to join his group in preparation for continued attacks on targets in Russia, including the capital Moscow.
The commander of the Free Russia Detachment, nicknamed “Caesar”, said they have combat capabilities such as mortars, armored vehicles and bulletproof platforms, in addition to man-portable anti-tank systems and a highly effective reconnaissance unit with drones. as reported by the British “The Times”.
He said that his unit is strong, like a battalion, which usually consists of 500-1000 soldiers, indicating that they have plans to expand.
“We will continue to conduct our raids until we have our own piece of Russian land so that real patriotic Russians can join us,” he added. “Once this happens, we will quickly increase our strength and numbers, and this will end with Kremlin repression,” he added.
In addition, 49-year-old Caesar jokingly explained that his unit’s weapons were purchased from AliExpress and eBay online stores, as well as from Russian military stores.
He stressed that all of its members are Russian citizens, but admitted that they served in the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Fighting as part of the Ukrainian troops
He said: “We are not a gang of criminals and not a private military company, like Wagner. We are fighting as part of the Ukrainian forces. Our main goal and mission is to protect Ukraine and put an end to the occupation of its lands. After that, we will go to liberate our home,” having in sight of Russia.
“The raid on Moscow was designed to support Ukraine’s planned counter-offensive, and also as a recruiting campaign to encourage the Russians to overthrow Putin before war came to them,” he added.
He also made it clear that Russian society should realize that “whoever raises the sword can be killed by the sword”, noting that “Russian society today does not respect diplomacy, but only force. We showed them our strength.”
Last week’s attack was the first example of protracted fighting on Russian soil since the start of the war and the first armed incursion into Russia since border clashes between Soviet and Chinese forces in 1969.
He was a member of two right-wing groups
It is noteworthy that the leader of a group called “Caesar” grew up in Sochi, then moved to St. Petersburg, where he worked for 20 years as a fitness trainer and was arrested several times, but not imprisoned.
He was also a member of two right-wing groups designated terrorist organizations for plotting against the Kremlin: the Russian Imperial Movement and the People’s Militia.
The Kremlin cracked down on the nationalist movement more than a decade ago in an attempt to stop its growing popularity, which Putin likely saw as a potential threat to his rule.
