Established in November 2022, the Russian Civic Council has been actively recruiting members for armed resistance and advocating for significant political reforms in Russia.
Initially, the organization contributed soldiers to the Russian Volunteer Corps, integrating within the Ukrainian Armed Forces' national units, according to a report.
Recently, the focus has shifted towards establishing a new entity, the Siberian Battalion, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported on Wednesday.
"So far 60 people have signed up," Civic Council Secretary Tatiana Kosinova revealed to Polish Radio.
She elaborated on the status of the recruits, saying: "Not everyone is fighting at the moment, because they enlisted at different times. Those who have enlisted in recent days have not yet received military training. They have a lot to learn. Those who were drafted into the Siberian Battalion last September and earlier are fighting at the front."
Kosinova has been urging Russian expatriates to extend their support beyond verbal endorsements, stressing the necessity of direct action.
She argues that peaceful protests alone will not suffice to dismantle Putin's regime.
"It will not be possible to overthrow Vladimir Putin's regime with peaceful protests but only with arms in hand," she said, as quoted by the IAR news agency.
(jh/gs)
Source: IAR, polskieradio24.pl