The Kremlin’s war against Ukraine is a war that many Russians do not want to wage. And some are so strongly opposed that they seem ready to take up arms against their country and fight alongside the Ukrainian army, writes The Moscow Times.

The Freedom of Russia Legion claims it was formed in March, when more than 100 Russian soldiers surrendered to Kyiv forces.

“We still got into this war. I thought that I would either die as an occupier and a criminal, or I would die with a clear conscience. So we switched sides,” said the 26-year-old former Russian soldier, who became a member of the Legion under the pseudonym Arnie.

Along with ex-soldiers, the legion is also made up of Russians who came to Ukraine with other foreigners to fight alongside the Ukrainian army in the months after the invasion.

It is one of several units – from Georgians to Belarusians – that operate as part of the International Defense Legion of Ukraine, created by Kyiv at the beginning of the war.

A riddle about the number of the Russian legion and the places where it fought

However, unlike other national units, Russia’s Legion of Freedom is shrouded in secrecy – from its exact numbers to where it fought – and some even argue that the lack of information suggests it is nothing more than a Ukrainian PR campaign.

Arni, who spoke to The Moscow Times via video link with his face covered by a mask, said he decided to join the legion to fight for the “light side”.

One of the legion’s best-kept secrets is its size, estimated to range from a few hundred to over 1,000 soldiers.

In June, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, said the group numbered “several hundred,” but last month the Legion said it consisted of two “full battalions,” potentially amounting to more than 1,000 fighters.

The exact number of soldiers, according to Arney, is “classified”, but he said that about 300 applications are submitted every day to join the unit: “It does not mean that this number of people join us every day. We have to analyze these requests, as well as special services [rusești] trying to “spam” us.”

Most Legion members keep their identities secret for fear of reprisals and to protect their families, making independent verification of their accounts impossible.

The Legion “Freedom of Russia” admitted to recruiting in the camps

A group of masked men who identified themselves as members of the Legion said at a news conference in April in Kyiv that they were former Russian soldiers, but declined to provide information about their Russian units or where they served.

The Legion, which admits to recruitment in prisoner-of-war camps in Ukraine, released videos of Russian prisoners calling their names, denouncing the Russian regime and pledging allegiance to the Legion.

Aside from its size, there is also little information about where the legion fought in the battle. The Legion said its soldiers arrived in eastern Ukraine in May, and images on its Telegram channel appeared to show fighting near the eastern Ukrainian cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.

The secrecy surrounding the Legion has led some to suggest that it may not be what it seems.

“Perhaps there will be several fighters [ruși]but whether it is organized as it is presented remains an open question,” said Ilya Ponomarenko, The Kyiv Independent’s security and defense correspondent.