His troops have forced the Russian state to fight back attackers at the border areas of Russian Belgorod. He has threatened Vladimir Putin. Now he wants, by any means possible, to rid Russia of its current leader.
– For the first time, our new country, “Free Russia”, has its own territory, says Ilya Ponomarev, leader of Russia’s Freedom Legion.
The Russian Putin-loyal journalists who were bussed into the border area southwest of Belgorod had earlier today to abruptly end their visit – despite assurances from the Moscow regime that everything is under control.
In an interview with TV4 Nyheterna, Ilya Ponomarev, leader of Russia’s Freedom Legion, states that their attacks to free Russia from Putin will continue.
– The goal is to liberate Russia. The Russian resistance movement must grow and ultimately take us all the way to Moscow, says Ilya Ponomarev.
It was on Monday that the armed resistance groups entered Russian territory at Belgorod, which borders northeastern Ukraine.
Ponomarev admits that Ukraine has given anti-Putin troops the green light – but emphasizes that all those who participated are Russians.
“Together we shall defeat this empire”
– It is a strong signal to all Russians. We must jointly defeat this empire, this regime and these war criminals in Moscow and bring them to justice, he says.
At the same time, Russia’s Ministry of Defense threatens an “extremely harsh” response if the country is exposed to more future Ukrainian raids.
But Ponomarev believes that the threats can have the opposite effect.
– This means fewer Russian soldiers at the front and better offensive capabilities for Ukraine.
On Wednesday evening, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin warned that Russia could lose the war if the country’s Ministry of Defense does not start taking the situation seriously.
Furthermore, Prigozhin says that the country may also end up in a situation similar to the revolution of 1917, reports Reuters.
“Has a personal interest”
According to TV4 Nyhetern’s foreign affairs commentator Lisa Grenfors, Ponomarev has long positioned himself as Putin-critical.
– He previously sat in the Duma in Russia as a member of parliament and was the only one who opposed the annexation of Crimea. So already there and then he distinguished himself as Putin-critical.
Ponomarev, who lives in Kiev under Ukrainian protection, is also a co-owner of a pro-Ukrainian television station.
– It is a channel that conducts pro-Ukraine broadcasts in Russian, says Grenfors.
But whether Ponomarev and his intentions can be trusted is still unclear.
– He says himself that he is the political representative of the group. But he, like all other parties in this war, has his own interest in describing reality in his own way.