Wednesday 6 July 2022 10:27 PM 'Putin must be overthrown': Widow who joined Russian unit fighting WITH Ukraine ... trends now
The widow of a Russian sergeant who was executed by Chechen forces when he refused to lead his troops into battle in Ukraine has joined a legion of disgruntled Russians fighting for Ukraine against their compatriots.
The woman, whose chose to conceal her identity, appeared in footage shared by the Freedom for Russia legion - a group of fighters comprised mostly of Russian and Belarusians who switched sides amid Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Sitting in front of a blue and white flag now synonymous with the anti-Putin legion, the defector announced defiantly: 'We all need to stop the war together and bring true freedom to Russia. The Putin regime must be overthrown.
'Stop tolerating the tyrant. Join our legion,' she implored her fellow countrymen and women in an attempt to drum up numbers for the rag-tag unit of defectors.
The group's exact numbers are not known but it is thought hundreds of Russians have crossed into Ukraine and signed up since it was formed in March.
The widow of a Russian sergeant who was executed by Chechen forces when he refused to lead his troops into battle in Ukraine has joined a legion of disgruntled Russians fighting for Ukraine against their compatriots
Sitting in front of a blue and white flag now synonymous with the anti-Putin legion, the defector announced defiantly: 'We all need to stop the war together and bring true freedom to Russia. The Putin regime must be overthrown'
Legion members fly a white and blue flag that has become synonymous with the anti-Putin group
The widow's Russian husband was executed by Chechen forces loyal to leader and Putin crony Ramzan Kadyrov (centre)
The woman told The Times she entered Ukraine in May after her husband was shot by soldiers loyal to Chechen leader and Putin crony Ramzan Kadyrov.
The sergeant had reportedly refused to send his men 'to slaughter' in Ukraine and he was promptly executed for insubordination.
His widow meanwhile was given the callsign 'First' when she joined the legion of disgruntled Russians because she was the first woman to do so.
She is joined in the legion by one extremely notable defector - the former Vice President of one of Russia's biggest banks.
Igor Volobuev, 50, was a distinguished member of Gazprombank - the third largest bank in Russia in terms of sheer asset size.
But he was shocked to his core when Putin decided to invade neighbouring Ukraine and defected, opting to lead the Freedom for Russia legion in an attempt to fight back.
'Guys from Russia – if you hate Putin's regime and want Russia to become a free, democratic country, join us,' Volobuev declared in a call to arms last month.
'I came here to defend my motherland.'
Many of the legion's troops are made up of Russian prisoners of war, who upon being treated well by their Ukrainian captors and educated about the impact of Putin's 'special military operation' agreed to switch sides.
