SUMMARY

LSR (Legion Svoboda Rossii; Freedom of Russia Legion; FRL) was a Russian paramilitary organization stationed in Ukraine. Engaged in combat alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia within the International Legion, the group also conducted occasional raids into Russian territory. While operating under Ukrainian command within Ukraine, LSR is regarded as an integral part of the Ukrainian government. However, when conducting operations on Russian territory, the group is perceived as acting independently.

LSR was formed in March 2022 by Russian army defectors opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine. On 10 March 2022, LSR’s official Telegram channel was created, in which the group announced that it was “moving to armed resistance to this criminal regime”. Subsequently, the group fought under Ukrainian command, participating in battles against Russian forces on Ukrainian territory.

LSR used a white-blue-white flag commonly associated with the opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The group portrayed itself as combating corruption and the suppression of civil liberties, yet it also maintained connections to far-right nationalist factions. The group did not announce its leaders, with the exception of the deputy commander and spokesperson Maximilian Andronnikov also known as “Caesar”. Casesar was previously a member of RIM (Russian Imperial Movement), an ultranationalist group with neo-Nazi ties opposed to Putin. RIM was designated a terrorist organization by the US in 2020.

LSR reportedly controlled a few hundred troops, but some reports suggest that there could have been as many as 4000 soldiers fighting in the Legion.

In May 2023, LSR, together with another Russian volunteer legion, RDK (Russkiy dobrovolcheskiy korpus; Russian Volunteer Corps), launched attacks into Russia, briefly controlling some villages in Belgorod oblast close to the Ukrainian border. LSR and RDK established close ties in August 2022, when attempts at creating a joint anti-Putin political wing took place in the Ukrainian city of Irpin. Although RDK later denied that they signed the Irpin declaration, it became clear that the two groups were working together. In March 2024, the Siberian Battalion joined LSR and RDK when new incursions into Russian territory were launched.

As part of the International Legion, LSR has enjoyed support, training, weapons, and ammunition from Ukraine.