The Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation demanded to declare “Svoboda Rossii” terrorist

The Prosecutor General of Russia, Igor Krasnov, demanded that the Svoboda Rossii Legion be recognized as a terrorist organization and that its activities be banned in Russia.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the legion was created in Ukraine “with the aim of undermining the foundations of the constitutional system of Russia, overthrowing the power in the country, including by committing terrorist acts.”

According to the Ukrainian speakers and participants of the legion, the unit consists of Russian volunteers, its goal is the liberation of occupied Ukrainian regions and the fight against the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin. At least some members of the legion are considering a forceful way to change power in Russia.

The Legion is considered to be connected with former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev. Earlier, he was included in the list of terrorists. According to Ponomarev, “the legion actually started as a PR initiative, but then turned into a real force.” In October 2022, Ponomarev hoped that there would be several thousand people in it.

In January 2023, a court in Bryansk accused 23-year-old Kirill Belousov of intending to join the “Freedom of Russia” legion and sentenced him to five years in a strict regime colony. The same charge was brought against 30-year-old Ilya Kutsev – he was sentenced to seven years in prison. 21-year-old Savely Frolov and 27-year-old Nikolai Okhlopkov are also suspected.

There is no convincing evidence of the existence of the “Freedom of Russia” legion.