The comment comes after a series of warnings about, and attacks on, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which is becoming an increasingly active part of the frontline.
Russian opposition activist Ildar Dadin, who had joined Ukraine’s armed forces, was reportedly killed in battle in the Kharkiv region, according to former Echo of Moscow journalist Ksenia Larina.
The Russian soldier, codenamed "Silver," contacted the legion in early 2024 after witnessing a variety of criminal acts committed by his unit and commanders.
The legion called upon Russian soldiers to "surrender to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as (their) comrades did." Those who "want to continue fighting for the normal future of Russia" were invited to join the unit.
A man in Russia has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for attempting to set fire to an enlistment office and for links to the Freedom of Russia Legion, Russia's Southern District Military Court said on July 30.
The court called Artem Sanzharaev a "convinced ideological opponent of the state" who "voluntarily joined" the Freedom of Russia Legion through Telegram.
The Russian missile ship Serpukhov was set on fire on April 8 while docked off the city of Kaliningrad. The sabotage completely destroyed its communication and automation systems, necessitating lengthy repairs, military intelligence said.
Editor's note: The story was updated with comments from Ukraine's military intelligence agency. Following over a week of cross-border raids, the Ukrainian-equipped anti-Kremlin militias held a joint press conference in downtown Kyiv to have their voices heard. With the recent incursions, the Ukraine-led militants say their goal was to "open
In the early hours of March 12, three anti-Kremlin Russian armed groups announced they had crossed the border into Russia's Belgorod and Kursk oblasts, promising "to fight the criminal Russian regime" with "weapons in hand." The footage capturing the crossing revealed that the fighters were well-armed, including with armored vehicles
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that all Russians who fight for Ukraine must be tracked down and "punished...without any statute of limitations, wherever they may be located."
The Kremlin may either allocate extra barricades and border security forces to deflect criticism, or choose to keep the majority of military equipment and personnel in Ukraine to conserve resources.
"The shelling of Ukraine from the territory of Belgorod must stop!" the joint statement said. The militias said they have been "forced" to fire upon Russian military positions in the area.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on March 12 that Moscow's military and security forces killed 234 combatants while thwarting a border incursion it blames on Ukraine.
