Dismayed by Moscow’s war, Russian volunteers are joining Ukrainian ranks to fight Putin’s troops

By VASILISA STEPANENKO
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Siberian Battalion is unique in many ways. It’s soldiers are Russians who have joined Ukraine’s military ranks to fight against their homeland, hoping someday to help oust Russian President Vladimir Putin. The fighters undergo lengthy security checks before they are trained and deployed to Ukrainian front lines. There are only a few dozen but Ukraine hopes more Russians will join the battalion. For now, its fighters hail mostly from ethnic minorities from Russia’s far east. They’ve had to escape to a third country before they could travel on to Ukraine. Most left behind friends and families but say they had no other choice and could no longer watch the devastating consequences of Putin’s war.