| Russian Volunteer Corps | |
|---|---|
| Русский добровольческий корпус | |
 | |
| Leaders | Denis "White Rex" Kapustin |
| Dates of operation | 22 August 2022 – present |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing[4] tofar-right[8] |
| Notable attacks | 2023 Bryansk Oblast raid |
| Allies | Ukraine |
| Opponents |  Russia North Korea |
| Battles and wars | |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Russia[9] |
| Flag |  |
| Website | https://rusvolcorps.com/ |
TheRussian Volunteer Corps (RVC;Russian:Русский добровольческий корпус, РДК,romanized: Russkiy dobrovolcheskiy korpus, RDK) is a far right[10][11][12] white nationalist[13]paramilitary unit ofRussian citizens, based inUkraine. It was formed in August 2022, during theRussian invasion of Ukraine, to fight against thegovernment of Vladimir Putin.[5][14][15] The group reportedly consists of Russian emigrants who are primarily united by their opposition to Putin.[5] The RVC is subordinated to theMain Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine and was initially part of theInternational Legion of Ukraine.[16][17][18]
Assessments of the ideology of this group vary from white nationalist[13] toneo-Nazi.[19][20][21] The RVC stated that they maintainright-wingconservative views and reject extremist labels.[22][23] Nonetheless, their founder and leader is reportedlyDenis Kapustin, a neo-Nazi who in 2019 was banned from theSchengen Area.[24]
The group claimed responsibility for a March 2023raid into the Bryansk region of Russia. Since May 2023, it has been launching larger cross-borderraids into the Belgorod region of Russia, alongside theFreedom of Russia Legion.
The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) was founded in August 2022[25] The founder and leader of the group isDenis Nikitin, who has been described as a neo-Nazi.[26][27][28] According to the Ukrainian news agencyGlavcom, the RVC was formed by Russian volunteers who had started fighting for Ukraine in theAzov Regiment and other units in 2014.[29] According to Polish news agencyVot Tak, unlike theFreedom of Russia Legion, the leadership of the RVC does not rely on Russian POWs-turned-defectors, but on Russian right-wingemigrants living in Ukraine.[30]
The RVC says it is made up of ethnic Russians fighting to defend Ukraine againstRussia's invasion and to overthrow thegovernment of Vladimir Putin.[5] It asserts Russia's government should abandon itsimperial ambitions and instead focus on improving the well-being of ethnic Russians. The RVC say they believe inself-determination for Russia's various ethnic minorities and "want to see a smaller, ethnic Russian state".[6][31]
RVC uses the symbols of the anti-BolshevikRussian Liberation Army, largely composed ofSoviet prisoners of war in German captivity who collaborated withNazi Germany duringWorld War II, but also helped Czech partisans in thePrague uprising against the German occupation.[6][30][32]
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According to official RVC statement, their flag is ideological fusion of Victor Larionov's organizations - a person "from whose ideas, principles and beliefs we build off of, drawing parallels of historical and political continuity".[19] Victor Larionov was a member of theanti-communistWhite movement during theRussian Civil War who, while being exiled in 1930s created a "White Idea" - an organization that in December 1937 would joinRussian Fascist party.[33] After Socialist coalition came to power in France in 1938, Larionov, among others was deported to Germany, where he became an employee ofNovoe Slovo [de], a pro-Nazi newspaper published by Russianémigrés in Berlin between 1933 and 1944. During the "Great Patriotic War" he worked forReich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories and was a member of theRussian Liberation Army.[33]
In May 2023 RVC posted their official manifesto called "Homo ethnicus". In this manifesto RVC rejects both Liberalism and Communism while presenting athird way - an "Ethnic worldview" encompassing unity byblood and by nation.[19][34][20]Yulia Latynina compared the organization's manifesto toMein Kampf.[35] In May 2023,Denis Kapustin described himself as a "patriot", a "traditionalist", a "right-winger", but rejected the label "neo-Nazi", saying "you’ll never find me waving a flag with aswastika, you’ll never find me raising my hand in aHitler salute. So why would you call me that?".[36] However, Kapustin's clothing brand features theBlack Sun[6] and "88" symbols favoured by Nazis and neo-Nazis,[37] as well as phrases such as "SS for Sweet 'n' sexy".[24]
One of the members told DW that their goal is a "truenation-state ofRussians in the original Russian territories — taking into account theterritorial integrity of Ukraine and Belarus, as well as neighboring countries. We want to establish a state for Russians that lives in peace with all the nations that surround it."[1]
German authorities have cautioned that the RVC fighting for Ukraine serves as a strategic advantage forRussian propagandists, enabling them to portray the Russian invasion in Ukraine as a purported effort to "de-Nazify" the nation.[37] "De-Nazifiction" is a common talking point inRussian disinformation to justify the invasion of Ukraine.[38]
The group gathers its forces through recruiting anti-Putin activists with civilian backgrounds and then coordinates with various political factions that move individuals across borders. Those associated with the RVC come from differingideological backgrounds. They frequently share nothing other than a mutual opposition to the invasion of Ukraine coupled with the aim of ending the currentRussian government.[6]
Reuters has recounted assertions that "RVC fighters [have] received regular salaries from the Ukrainian defence ministry" as well as that the overall "unit [has] numbered up to 200 fighters". However, the news agency has cautioned that these statements have not been independently verified.[6]
The RVC maintains a "Free Cossack Squad" consisting ofCossack volunteers primarily from theKuban region of southern Russia with the unit reportedly taking part in the fighting inAvdiivka andSvatove.[39]
Before beginning a cooperation with theCivic Council, the unit only accepted Russians who were already abroad. With the cooperation the Civic Center functions as a ″kind of recruitment center″ and according toAnastasia Sergeyeva, the public face of the Civic Council, men were also then accepted directly from Russia. In order to join, volunteers fill out an online questionnaire or write to an encrypted mailbox.[40]
TheKarelian Group, abattalion made up ofseparatists from Northwestern Russia ofFinno-Ugric origin, became a part of the RVC in late 2023.[41]
RVC is a part ofInternational Legion of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and is subordinate toMain Directorate of Intelligence.[18][17]
In October 2022, the RVC published its manifesto, identifying itself as "part of Ukraine's Armed Forces", although Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment.[42][24] In March 2023, Ukraine denied involvement with the RVC and other armed groups that launched an assault into Russia from Ukraine.[5] Ilya Ponomarev, political representative of the Freedom of Russia Legion, claimed the RVC has contacts with the Ukrainian military but operates in a "gray area".[43]
The Russian Volunteer Corp is part of the Civic Council, a Russian emigrant association that was founded in Warsaw.[40]
According toIlya Ponomarev, the RVC took part in a press conference on 31 August 2022 with theFreedom of Russia Legion and theNational Republican Army when they signeda joint declaration. He claimed that the RVC also agreed to join the agreement.[44][45]
Free-Cossack Detachment [uk].png)
Reconnaissance Group "Tourist".png)
Artillery Unit.png)
Drone Unit.png)
Mortar BatteryKarelian GroupMembers of the group include formerFSB agentIlya Bogdanov [ru;uk].[46]
On 2 March 2023, the Russian authorities claimed that an armed Ukrainian group crossedthe border and carried out a "terrorist attack" in the villages ofLyubechane andSushany, inBryansk Oblast. Russia said the attackers fired on a car, killing two civilians, before theFederal Security Service forced them back into Ukraine.[47] On 9 March, Russia launched a barrage of missile strikes at Ukrainian civilian infrastructure in what it called "retaliation" for the attack.[48] The Russian Volunteer Corps claimed responsibility for the alleged cross-border raid, and posted videos of armed men in Lyubechane with their insignia, urging Russians to "rise up and fight" against the government.[42]
Ukrainian officials denied involvement, saying it was either a Russianfalse flag attack or a case of Russians rebelling against their government.[14]
On 6 April 2023, the Russian Volunteer Corps again claimed to have crossed the border into Bryansk Oblast, entering the village of Sluchovsk.[49] While Russian authorities claimed that an attempted incursion was prevented, the Russian Volunteer Corps released video showing them inside the village. During the incursion, combat operations were allegedly carried out.[50]
On 22 May 2023, the RVC and theFreedom of Russia Legion launched a largerraid into Russia, this time inGrayvoronsky District,Belgorod Oblast; videos that circulated online showed armed men who said they belonged to the RVC saying they had crossed the border to fight "the bloody Putinite and Kremlin regime".[51] The governor of Belgorod Oblast said that a Ukrainian "sabotage group" had entered the region and that a "counterterrorism regime" was introduced.[52] The paramilitaries reportedly captured several border villages. On 24 May, the RVC held a press conference on the Ukrainian side of the border. Denis 'White Rex'[clarification needed] said they were satisfied with the raid, saying they had seized weapons, an armoured personnel carrier, and taken prisoners before leaving Russian territory after 24 hours. He said that two RVC fighters were wounded and that Ukraine provided support only with medical supplies, fuel and food. Separately, the Freedom of Russia Legion said two of its fighters had been killed and 10 wounded.[53]
The neo-Nazi is officially registered on the ground floor of a grey apartment building. Nikitin, who was born in Moscow, spent his youth here.
В отличие от «Легиона "Свобода России"» руководство корпуса делает ставку не на бывших российских военнослужащих, оказавшихся в «Легионе» после сдачи в плен, а на русских правых эмигрантов, живущих в Украине.
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