Legion "Freedom of Russia" is enemy No. 1 for Putin. Interview with Caesar about the collapse of the Putin regime and Ukraine's victory

The Freedom of Russia Legion was created in March 2022 by military and civilian Russians who want to protect Ukraine and liberate Russia.

The Legion's goals are not only military. After the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine, they plan to bring Russian war criminals to justice and overthrow the Putin regime.

Changing the Putin regime can only be done by armed means

The last time we spoke with you was at the Legion oath while filming the documentary "The Collapse of the Dictatorship of the Word" about your unit. Tell me, did you manage to watch the movie?

Of course, we all watched the movie. And we liked your work. It was professionally done. You managed to convey the thoughts and moods of the legionnaires, their goals and tasks — this is the most important thing.

From the point of view of cinematography, the film was shot perfectly and even in the reviews, even in TikTok, where there are short excerpts of the music, there were comments like: "The best oath I've seen!".

That is, we have an excellent oath. It resembles the oath of Ephesus, a Greek youth who, reaching maturity, swore to his city, his state, that he would protect its rights and freedoms.

Do you know that this film is called "Manifesto of Free Russia" on social networks?

I have not seen such comments and reviews. But it is necessary for everyone to clearly understand that the change of Putin's regime can only be by armed means.

And it was impossible to change Putin to a conditional Prigozhin. Of course, it would be madness, or to Girkin, which radicalized Putin's system even more. And literally, like mad dogs, they began to wage a total war.

We carry different values. We want to bring freedom to the peoples of Russia, to make it so that the Russian people and, let's say, representatives of other peoples of Russia, all of them, are masters of their land.

The Legion adopts experience from the American PMC Academi

LFR fighters take over the experience of Academi's private military company (PMC), formerly Blackwater. It is one of the largest private military companies in the United States. How would you rate the level of training and cooperation?

Let's say so. Prigozhin, when he created his "private military company", just cosplayed Blackwater, the famous Academy. These structures, even though Western army structures are much more efficient than the Soviet ones, learn experience much faster, quickly implement it, promptly carry out weapons modernizations, and reform the army. However, private military companies in this structure are recruited exclusively from professionals with extensive experience in hot spots and professionals in logistics and training.

All this allows raising such structures to a higher level, even compared to the high NATO army standards. Thanks to this, these structures received multibillion-dollar orders and performed tasks where, let's say, the US Department of Defense did not want to risk the lives of the military. Still, it was necessary to perform a specific job. Therefore, it is natural that Academi has proven itself to be the best side; they have a lot to learn.

And to what extent has the level of professionalism of the Legion grown if we compare the first military outings and today's operations?

It had grown up a lot. If a year and a half ago, most of us were civilians who did not hold weapons or served in the Russian army, who, let's say, were more engaged in economic and household activities than in actual combat training.

And we all had a good training course. This is an introductory course that lasts two to three months. Next is specialization: whether it will be an attack aircraft, whether it will be a UAV operator, or whether it will be a gunner.

We have already had good training. But naturally, a year with a hook at the front added a lot of experience. We consider this experience, systematize it, process it, and share it. And now the Legion is a very highly professional union.

Is it difficult for the LFR to capture Russian soldiers?

Did the Legion have to capture citizens of Russia? How do legionnaires treat such prisoners of war?

Yes, I had to. In battle, we took prisoners, both citizens of Russia and citizens of Ukraine. Let's put it this way: representatives of the "DPR" and "LPR". In general, they had a culture shock because they were citizens of Ukraine who were fighting against their country, and we were citizens of Russia who were defending it. Yes, we were taken prisoner; we had to communicate. But, in general, if you read Zolkin's conversation with the prisoners of war, the picture is, on average, the same.

That is, it is a vague moaning. A person cannot explain why he ended up in a foreign land. They tell these "sincere" stories of how he signed up as a cook and a driver. He was generally promised service on the border with Ukraine, somewhere in the rear, etc and accidentally got to the front. But they are all equally uneducated people who feed on low-quality information gum, people who believe that there are Nazis who eat Orthodox babies. Everything is in such clichés.

The war has entered the phase of the struggle for attrition

How would you assess the state of the Russian army or the mood within the military?

The objective reality is that the war has entered the positional phase. Yes, unfortunately, this is the harsh truth. If we had high hopes for a successful counteroffensive at the beginning of the year, we can safely say that the war, unfortunately, has entered a protracted phase. You can't get away from this. The war has entered the phase of the struggle for attrition.

Naturally, Russia has colossal resources, much larger than Ukraine's. It is also a mobilization resource, which is 4-5 times larger.

These are vast reserves of equipment, considering the storage of weapons and equipment. But again, the ability of the Russian army to conduct combat operations is steadily declining.

They have breakthroughs in certain areas, let's say successes. And it must be said objectively that I did not mean the breakthrough at the front. I told in the military-technical field. They are good at pulling up UAVs, using radio-electronic intelligence, and using radio-electronic warfare.

You know that they are already starting to produce "Shahedy" on a much larger scale and all other rubbish that will fly to peaceful Ukrainian cities in the winter. They prepare, conclude, and lessons. Similarly, Ukraine should draw conclusions and lessons. Since I am a citizen of Russia, I cannot give any advice here. I can only provide guidance in the political field in terms of information.

So, the enemy, even though he has a large stockpile of weapons and equipment, cannot afford to deploy them very quickly. He engages in techno cannibalism. Of 10 tanks from the storage base, naturally, not 10, but 5-8.

Of course, some spare parts are selected from other equipment for this. This is all a natural process, and the speed of technology recovery will, of course, decrease. At the current rate of hostilities and losses the Russian army suffers, they will still have enough equipment and people for 2-3-4 years. With such rates of losses, they can fight for at least 100 years, I'll be honest. So, losing 200-300 thousand people a year, they can constantly keep the necessary number "at gunpoint".

Scenarios of the victory of Ukraine and the collapse of the Putin regime

The only question is: how long will Russian citizens tolerate it? The only question is, how many more black packets are needed to come to Russia for their consciousness to begin to return? Although I understand that the picture is by no means "rosy", by no means rosy, for example, I do not have any decadent moods.

I perfectly understand how this war will end, however long it lasts. This will be a victory for Ukraine, and this will be the collapse of Putin's regime.

If earlier a scenario was possible due to the victory of Ukraine and the collapse of the Putin regime, now the scenario due to the collapse of the Putin regime is becoming quite relevant - the victory of Ukraine.

We can recall this occasion, and by the way, history loves to repeat itself. It is repeated with minor deviations, sometimes almost entirely. But, as the Bible said, there is nothing new. Think back to the First World War a century ago, when Tsarist Russia was on the verge of victory.

In 1917, Russia's military machine was already gaining momentum, the ammunition shortage was eliminated, and the production of weapons, uniforms, and everything necessary for the army was established.

But the German government, realizing what was happening, got in very well with the Bolsheviks and other left-wing parties. Yes, they increased propaganda. Of course, the Bolsheviks deceived the Russian people, and the Bolsheviks deceived all the peoples of Russia. They promised equality and brotherhood but brought a terrible tyranny that the world had never seen.

But the propaganda of the Bolsheviks was simple. It was land for peasants, factories for workers, and water for sailors. And, of course, many bought into it because whites and reds fought the Civil War. And it was not Trotsky and Lenin who personally shot at the "whites". Millions of deceived Russians took up arms in an attempt to build the bright future that was painted for them.

And now we have to bring it to the ordinary Russian man. And I emphasized that it's essential, it's imperative. Because, as we can see now, we have been trying to unite the Russian opposition for a year and a half - nothing is working out.

They are actively distributing grants, throwing mud at each other, sitting in European cafes and already drawing projects on how they will arrange Russia after Putin. That is, all their activities are counterproductive.

Yes, and neither Ukraine nor the people of Russia are being helped at all. But we understand very well that if the citizens of Russia, the ordinary citizens of Russia, are not those who are proud of their foreheads, not those who have been interested in politics for a very long time, not those who, in general, are oppositional, even when ordinary citizens of Russia see, that all spheres of Russia are rotten, that all state institutions have decayed, and they require a complete replacement.

Then, they will understand that only the Legion is the force that can end this unnecessary war, change the government and lead Russia through reforms to peace and prosperity.

As for the changes inside Russia, we finally see some changes in the information field. For example, the Russians installed an air defence complex in Sochi on the beach in the Mamaika district. What does this mean, given that Putin's residence is nearby?

I have lived in Sochi, my native place, for most of my life. I am sure that I will return to my homeland. First with a weapon in his hands and then, perhaps, in some other form.

Our adversary must spend additional resources covering control, military, and civilian infrastructure facilities, including air defence systems.

Because of the missile terror that Russia is currently waging against Ukraine, it will receive adequate influence already from the Russian citizens themselves, who within Russia are carrying out measures to destroy the military infrastructure, the destruction of military commissars, and the supply routes of the Russian army. All this, of course, will gain momentum.

Russian security forces created fake channels for recruiting in the LFR

After publishing our film "The Collapse of the Dictatorship of the Word" in the Russian information field, we noticed news about how people want to join the Legion. If you even scroll through the Russian mass media today, you can note the frequent detention of those willing to join the Legion. Do you think Russia is starting to wake up little by little, or is it some particular spree by the FSB to catch those who want to change something?

For a very long time, the Russian opposition did not notice us. And the law enforcement officers also tried not to see us for a long time because any mention of us would attract attention.

And when it became impossible to ignore us six months ago or even earlier, they began to create fake Telegram channels and fake bots for registration in the Legion. And unfortunately, due to carelessness and inattention, many of our fellow citizens fell for this trick.

Continuing the topic of the Legion "Freedom of Russia", they can no longer remain silent in the mass media, and now Russian propaganda is even expressing exciting information. One of the recent experts on Russian television said that Russia cannot compete with the EU and NATO in terms of benefits for Ukraine. And that Russia can only give Ukraine poverty. What do you think about this?

And in this regard, practice has shown everything. In 2014, Strelkov and his company began the arrival of the "Russian world" in Donbas. "Russian world" came there, and we can all see how Donbas has changed in 10 years. He became unprofitable, poor, and criminal. And what happened there is just terrible. Many citizens of Ukraine were forced to leave it, and many Ukrainian soldiers were the residents of Donbas who wanted to liberate their homeland with weapons in their hands.

That's all that the "Russian world" brought in 10 years — only destruction and people with low incomes. I often visit the front and near-front areas and see only traces of destruction and disasters. And even in the already deoccupied territory, we see that "Russian peace" did not bring anything demonstrably good and helpful there. All they can do is steal and spray everything.

You cannot participate in the Russian election farce

Putin announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Russian Federation. An intense political campaign is being launched to warm the people's interest in the elections. Intelligence indicates that Putin avoids discussing the "SVO" and actively demonstrates his positive side. Take even, for example, a recent interview with Sobchak and Morgenstern. Most likely, it was ordered by the Kremlin to create a good impression: they said, look, they criticized Putin and then asked to go back, realizing their mistake. How is Putin going to prepare the people for the elections?

I have a simple rhetorical question. Do Morgenstern and Sobchak represent the Russian people? Do they represent civil society in Russia? No.

My brothers and I represent the Russian people and other indigenous peoples of Russia. We have a multinational division, which includes people of different political views. And we all came to a straightforward conclusion: changes in Russia are impossible without force of arms. Everything is effortless.

Walking demi-corpse Putin, about whom there are already so many rumours that he is long dead, is already somewhere in the refrigerator in Valdai, along with potatoes and carrots. Let's say it's not funny.

All of his entourage are the same old communists, coming from the party nomenclature, Komsomol and party men, who then broke the peoples of Russia and now continue to break them. He has been behind the wheel for 25 years. What did he lead the country to? The poor, drug addiction, crime, ethnic gangs, and the complete lack of rights and freedoms of citizens.

Can you name at least one area where Russia has something good? Nowhere and nothing. Therefore, I think that the election results will naturally be drawn.

Naturally, there will be a formal election campaign, campaigning for Putin and other candidates who will portray the opposition candidate. But any participation in these pseudo-elections, which, unfortunately, a part of the Russian opposition calls for, will only legitimize them.

You cannot participate in this farce. Now, the only choice for a true Russian patriot is 5.45 or 7.62 (cartridge calibres, - ed.), and the field for discussion is open.

Will the death of Putin change the course of the war

You said that Putin lives. If we imagine that Putin will die in the coming days, would his death change the course of the war?

I think so. After all, the only beneficiary of the attack on Ukraine was Putin himself. Because, I hope, you saw all those pale faces and heads of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service trembling with fear. They all perfectly understood that everyone was signing the verdict. They were all trembling with fear, and he gathered them all together to smear them with blood and transfer the guilt to them.

He cleared the entire political space around him. He gathered idlers and degenerates who lacked willpower, courage and intelligence to tell him to his face about his shortcomings and his way of governing.

Accordingly, even if he dies, let's say, the system will crumble. But at one time, academician Michurin, who was engaged in breeding, said a phrase characteristic of the Soviet era: Man considered himself the master of the world and nature.

He said: "Our task is not to expect favours from nature; it is our task to take them." So, our task is not to wait for Putin's death but to overthrow this tyrant and bring him to the Hague Tribunal.

If he dies before the Legion reaches Moscow, we don't mind. He, if he lives, will be tried. If he dies and his camarilla takes up his banner and continues this senseless war, they will follow the same path—the same fate awaits them.

The propagandists are to blame for the fact that the Russians went to kill

But what about propaganda? For example, Russia spent almost 2 billion dollars on propaganda last year. What do you think the propaganda will be like after our victory, and how will the rhetoric of the propagandists change?

Propagandists are very fond of mentioning Stalin. They are very fond of talking about how the enemies of the people worked on the significant constructions of the empire and restored the economy. Here is all that they say. It will be applied to them. They will go to fix what was destroyed by Putin - Russia - far and for a long time.

Because it is these cannibals who bear the primary blame for the fact that the people were deceived and went to kill and rob their neighbours.

Propaganda will be like in Nazi Germany after the end of the war: Nazi Germans and their accomplices were forcibly taken away, concentration camps were shown, graves of tortured victims were shown, and they were taken to the cinema.

Yes, to zombify them. And, by the way, not everyone succumbed. Until the end of his days, someone believed in the greatness of the Führer, that his ideas were good, and that his sacrifices were not in vain.

But I want to say that the people of Russia are getting tired of propaganda. You see, it needs to raise the degree of incandescence constantly. This is impossible, even if there are some reasons. For example, Russia very openly opened a second front in the Gaza Strip.

We know very well that Putin's ears stick out from there. They tried to switch the attention, but none of this increased the number of his supporters.

Recently, polls showed that 70% of respondents in Russia want an end to the war. Another question is: under what conditions will it be done? But 70% have already realized that they do not need this war. Further, this number will only grow, both our supporters and those associates who will join our ranks here, in Ukraine, or inside Russia.

Russia became a vassal of China.

You mentioned Israel. Today, more and more politicians and world leaders declare that the world is on the brink of World War III. What do you personally think about this?

I don't want to colour at all, but I want to say, unfortunately, we are waiting for more clashes. And now a historical event has happened. This meeting was between Biden and Xi Jinping. This is truly a historic event. How harmful is this meeting for today's Russia, and how deplorable is it for Putin himself?

Today, Russia, it must be admitted honestly, has become a vassal of China. Putin compared himself to Alexander Nevsky, who crawled to the khan for a label to serve. Putin has now tried this role on himself. That is, bending his neck, he crawls to Si to ask for handouts. That's his whole role. He portrayed himself as a geopolitician for a long time, but he turned out to be a puppet in Chinese hands.

In this regard, I will continue: Biden's visit may significantly limit China's desire to help Putin, let's say, fuel his armed aggression.

Prigozhin showed that Putin's system is like a house of cards

In one of the interviews, you said that getting to Moscow is not as difficult as it seems. In connection with recent events and the possible death of specific figures in Russia, will this path become even more accessible and closer?

Definitely yes. Prigozhin's actions showed that Putin's system is like a house of cards; one blow and everything crumbles. However, there are no people within Russia ready to come out and defend themselves, and there aren't any. But the majority of those who are now fighting on the side of Russia are either forcibly mobilized or various scumbags who are pursuing their interests. They went for a long ruble, hoping they would somehow survive, get rich and return.

These hopes have already been dashed. The leadership of the Russian army has clearly said that they will fight to the last. Even those who signed contracts and went there voluntarily to complete disposal. Therefore, they should think. Perhaps we should return the bayonets to the Kremlin and end it there.

Is Putin afraid of the Legion "Freedom of Russia"

If you take into account this news from the Air Force, if you take into account the fact that now the Russian media can no longer keep quiet about the Legion "Freedom of Russia", do you feel that Putin and his entourage are afraid of you?

From the beginning, we have taken and continue to take severe measures regarding the security of our unit.

We have very few combat personnel. We protect the locations where we are and don't post them so they can't be recognized.

Therefore, we understand that we are Putin's number one enemy and target. We know that we have declared huge political goals, severe because we realize that no one but us will be able to return to Russia and restore order in the country by force of arms.

If Ukraine loses, Putin will move on.

In a recent statement to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia could create new crises in the Balkans and Moldova to distract the world from the war in Ukraine. What else can Putin do? Could an unstable situation be growing in some neighbouring regions?

Let's start with the fact that the situation inside Russia is slowly losing stability and will continue to lose strength. Have you seen these cheerful thugs in Makhachkala? Do you know what I'm getting at? There are already enough radical elements and the slightest external or internal spark, and everything can ignite.

Of course, in the same Balkans, in Transnistria, fanning it in conditions when the Russian army is already rolling down the hill is a very dubious task. And I do not think that any of Russia's supporters in the Balkans or Transnistria will seriously believe in success. A slip is not a loss, as they say. But I doubt that, against the background of the events in Ukraine and Israel, the world community will allow these plans to be fully realized.

The thesis is that if Ukraine loses, then Putin will not stop and will continue. How accurate is this topic?

It is absolutely real. It was actually a year and a half ago, and now it is absolutely real. If this man-eater is not stopped, he will go further, trying to restore the borders first of the Soviet Union, then of the Warsaw Pact. He went crazy in this regard.

He really went utterly crazy because he stole and sneaked all his life to such an extent and gathered around him such "back-singers" who constantly told him for 20 years about his genius and greatness, that he believed in himself very much and decided that he will be able to become Volodymyr Red Sun No. 2, collector of Russian lands.

That's all. Therefore, if Ukraine is now paying for the freedom of Europe with its blood... And a huge thank you to those countries. I will first of all emphasize who understands us best now. These are the Baltic countries, Poland, which perfectly knows that they will face the same thing they met in the 1939-40s, with occupation and the extermination of the best that these countries have. Therefore, they perfectly understand that it is better to transfer equipment and weapons to Ukraine now than later to fight and defend themselves on their land.

Moreover, I want to tell you that when the war ends, the victory in Crimea is only a matter of time; it will not be quick. Ukraine can become, let's say, an exporter of security to Europe. This is a function that no European country can currently fulfil.

But Ukraine, possessing a powerful large army with rich combat experience, can be a guarantor of stability in Europe if it is a member of NATO, a member of the EU.

Appeal of "Caesar" to potential recruits of the LFR

How difficult is it to check recruits because there may be a risk that unique mercenaries or agents, ardent fans of Putin, will want to join the Legion?

Of course, there is such a risk. Of course, such agents were repeatedly caught at various stages. Our security service works very seriously. But so far, there have been no cases of agent infiltration. Because if they were, we would probably have already suffered significant, serious losses.

And what would you like to say to potential recruits who are still in doubt?

I want to say this: Guys, if you are true men, every day Putin's horde kills the residents of Ukraine every day. This is not a metaphor. It is a terrible truth.

Rockets are coming, shells are coming, children are being killed, women are being killed, older adults are being killed. Ukrainian men, sons, husbands, and fathers die every day, and they die to end this war as soon as possible.

If you are waiting for something in Russia and do not have the opportunity to go abroad, join us here. Join the internal resistance, organize sabotage, organize agitation, and propaganda.

If you're in Europe, cosying up and waiting for it all to be over so you can return to Russia, it might not be over soon. If you sit and wait like this, remember that the blood of innocent Ukrainians will be on your conscience, on the conscience of those who did not find the courage to go and cover them with their chests, defend Ukraine and liberate Russia.

What can we hear about the Legion "Freedom of Russia" shortly? Maybe something positive and good?

Necessarily.