​Ilya Ponomaryov, one of the leaders of the “Freedom of Russia” legion, which consists of Russians fighting on the side of Ukraine, in an interview with HotNews.ro spoke in more detail about the latest actions, after which the military formation managed to penetrate into the Belgorod and Kursk regions of Russia.

The international press reported on Tuesday that armed militants, who are Russian citizens and opposed to the Kremlin regime, carried out cross-border incursions from Ukraine into western Russia with the help of tanks. These are the “Free Legion of Russia”, “Siberian Battalion” and “Russian Volunteer Corps”. Moscow said it repelled their attacks.

To learn more about these actions, I spoke with one of the leaders of the Freedom of Russia Legion, Ilya Ponomarev. He is a former Russian deputy who has been in exile in Ukraine since 2016. He says that the military actions are taking place in the context of the presidential elections in the Russian Federation, as well as against the background of the despair of the opposition in Russia, after the death of Alexei Navalny.

Recently, I spoke to you in an interview about the possible overthrow of the regime in Russia and the possible “biggest coup in the last 100 years.” Is what happened on Tuesday the beginning?

Ilya Ponomaryov: We have a certain plan, a strategy, and at some point there will be a blow that will turn the situation around. But everything that is happening now cannot be called a “beginning” yet. This only shows that our forces are growing.

What exactly are the territories under the control of the Legion “Freedom of Russia” and what exactly do you mean when you say that a certain population center is controlled by the movement you represent?

Now the fighting is taking place on the approaches to the city of Tyotkino (Kursk region – no), one of the largest cities of the region. This is an urban settlement. In any case, we are talking about the territory around the border with Ukraine.

Unfortunately, for military reasons, we cannot move far from the border with Ukraine, because for this we need artillery, but the Western partners do not allow the military equipment offered by them to be used on the territory of Russia. That’s why we act where we can hit with shots.

You saw that the FSB denied the penetration of the Legion into Belgorod and Kursk.

You just saw the video I posted: local residents of a village in the Belgorod region filmed a tank with the flag of the “Freedom of Russia” legion driving past a house. What evidence do you need? The filming was not done by us, but by local people.

I mean, was this a tactic (no – by the Russian security services) so that the panic would not spread to other areas of Russia?

Yes of course. They understand that people cannot verify this information.

Have additional resources been directed to the communities where Legion representatives are now present?

Only a day has passed. Units that were in the immediate vicinity of these settlements are being redirected. It takes a certain amount of time to move resources.

We understand that during hostilities, civilian casualties cannot be excluded. And yet how to make such victims as few as possible? Do you have such a task?

We do our best not to use artillery around civilians. But the Russian army began to do exactly what it did in Shebekino (Belgorod region – no), and now in Avdiivka (Donetsk region – no), that is, to shoot at “their own” right in the city. We have always done and continue to do so that the civilian population does not suffer as much as possible.

But are there already victims among the civilian population?

I cannot give any information about the injured. I can only say that what Russian official sources claim is a terrible lie, these are numbers taken from another planet. Data on the victims will be given at the end.

I don’t think you can even tell us how many people are involved in this operation.

No, I can’t tell you.

What is the role of Ukrainian special services? I saw the reaction of the Intelligence Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which stated that the units, including “Freedom of Russia”, are acting independently.

Special services have nothing to do with these actions. We represent units of the Ukrainian army and cooperate with structures within the army.

“Revolutionary events are possible, weapons in hands all the way to Moscow”

​Ilya Ponomaryov. PHOTO: SOPA Images Limited / Alamy / Profimedia

The question that is being discussed, especially in the Russian media space: from what sources does the Legion exist and how was this operation prepared?

We are part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Accordingly, the rules in this sense apply equally to all servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Of course, there are also donations to support military units.

Yet what is the expected impact of these actions over the next few days or longer?

I don’t think we can talk about any specific impact that we expected. First of all, it is about “training by combat”, checking the methods of defense.

Obviously, there is another point: we want to demonstrate to Russian citizens how they should behave in the context of elections: not to go there with these fake ballots, to these fake elections. He must react harshly. I believe that those who need to understand will understand this message.

Do you want to prove before the election that Putin brought war to their country by attacking Ukraine?

Yes, including that. But people who are against war understand this. They do not need further explanation. This is the case when we show that resistance by force is possible.

After Navalny’s death, several opposition leaders, including Khodorkovsky, spread the idea that “everything is lost,” “we can’t do anything,” “we have to wait until Putin himself dies.” We think it will take some time, but we already expect more to join us.

We must show by our own example that this is possible.

Can we expect the beginning of a civil war on the territory of Russia, about which several voices spoke?

On the one hand, if we listen to what Putin says, for example, that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, this means a civil war that is already underway. I think that many Russians from a psychological point of view perceive this war as a civil war.

But if we talk about the exact essence of the term “civil war”, then I do not think that a civil war in Russia is possible. I see neither prerequisites nor forces that could organize an armed conflict. Revolutionary events are more likely, with weapons in hand all the way to the capital. Yes, without a doubt, I believe it.

When can this revolution happen, if such predictions can be made? For example, by the end of this year is it possible?

Such events can explode at any moment. We do not know what will be the impetus for this: Putin’s illness or certain moments at the front. There can be many such turning points. Yes, it is possible that it will happen this year.

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