The operation of the Russian partisans in the Belgorod region was not a one-off. More Russians want to fight on the side of Ukraine. As the representative of the Civic Council said in an interview, the volunteers strive to overthrow Vladimir Putin, but also to rebuild the “new” Russia.

In Russia, there is a Citizens’ Council, which brings together Russian organizations boycotting the regime of Vladimir Putin . They also oppose the brutal war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. The Russians operating within the Citizens’ Council cooperate with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

– We help in the recruitment of citizens of the Russian Federation to fight on the side of Ukraine . We focus on organizing and increasing the guerrilla movement inside Russia, said Anastasia Schultz-Sergeeva, international secretary of the Civic Council. –  They want to fight against Vladimir Putin’s army and private paramilitary groups . We gather those who want to fight on the side of Ukraine and to save Russia from Putin, she added.

As she admitted, the volunteers are Russians from different parts of the country, but also migrants living outside Russia on a daily basis. These are often people who left Russia last year before the mobilization. Among them are professional soldiers trained to fight. They apply, among others from Georgia and Turkey .

The recruits want to help the Ukrainians in the fight, because – as they emphasize – “it’s part of our fault.” – We allowed Putin to have all the means to attack Ukraine. The second thing is the recovery of Russia . We see that Ukraine has to fight, but has limitations to go to the next step – said Schultz-Sergeeva.

Volunteers are verified and tested. They undergo training depending on their experience. People who have already been in the army are also undergoing exercises. The Civic Council not only wants to support Ukraine, but also seeks to change the power in Russia.

– Many of us have experienced various forms of opposition from previous years. We see what is happening in Russia. We see that without resistance, no other processes come into play . I’m not saying that the change will take place in a military way, but we must have an army, emphasized Schultz-Sergeeva.

– We believe that the Russian Federation is a failed state at the moment. Putin did it. He wanted to defeat Ukraine very quickly, the strategy was often changed, paramilitary organizations returned (…) to which weapons were handed over. They destroyed state institutions of force. Now we see more and more such groups. It will last. The state practically does not exist . (…) There is propaganda and a repressive machine around Putin. If anything happens to him, most of this propaganda won’t work. Most groups that have a monopoly on power will fight each other, Schultz-Sergeeva added.

The Civic Council does not believe that a change for the better can take place at the top of the current Russian elite. According to the interlocutor, Mateusz Ratajczak, it takes time to create new leaders, and this time is as long as Putin is alive. He claims that by force it will be possible to prepare the ground for the democratization of Russia and free elections.

What could be the future of Russia if Ukraine wins?

“We’re going to need to know what’s going on in the circuits.” If the changes are dictated from Moscow, it will not be possible to change the country in a democratic way and impose democracy from above. We must support self-government and convince people to take responsibility. If Moscow does not have the first actor in this theater, people will have to act on their own . We need to talk about a federal or confederal system, Schultz-Sergeeva enumerated.

– Our task is to clear the territory of Ukraine from Russian units dependent on Moscow . (Joining NATO and the European Union – ed.) is a matter for Ukraine. We will be very happy if Ukraine develops in a good way. We need to talk about responsibility for what the Putin regime has done.

– The Civic Council does not want to take power and leave it to itself. We want to regain our homeland and give citizens the right to decide about their own future. It will be a community of nation-states that will be united by some kind of confederation . We will try to return to the Council of Europe and normal relations with the world, including the Western world , she added.

As she said, people in Russia want to live better than they do now, without worrying about death in war or their fortune. She emphasized that Russians would like to be able to decide for themselves and have the same opportunities as citizens of other European countries.

– The propaganda of the last few years says that the world does not like us and does not want Russians to exist. He tries so hard to convince the Russians that only Putin will save them. We try to show that we have many possibilities. It’s not an easy road, because Russia is full of different people, traditions, religions and ways of life. We have to develop forms of communication and consensus, which is difficult, concluded Schultz-Sergeeva.