Russians at war with Putin
At a secret location in Ukraine soldiers are training to storm the enemy. But the soldiers are from Russia and The Sibir Battalion fights under Ukrainian command. One of them is ‘Sizy’ from Moscow. The soldier ‘Sizy’ picks cartridges from a small box. With quick movements, he fills the magazine.
- ‘I think it was a criminal offence for Russia to go to war. As a Russian, I couldn't stand by and watch this war unfold,’ he says.
Live ammunition is being fired around the trenches set up for training.
Soldiers in the Siberian Battalion practise storming the enemy with live ammunition and real grenades.
What the Russian soldiers here have in common is that they are strongly opposed to the war in Ukraine. They also believe that the time for peaceful protest in Putin's Russia is over.
The soldiers are practising what they will encounter at the front. Both Ukraine and Russia have dug kilometres of trenches.
Soon it will be ‘Sizy’'s turn to run into the trenches.
He has not yet been in combat, but may be sent to the front shortly.
His training is coming to an end.
As ‘Sizy’ sneaks through the trenches, he is watched closely.
The Ukrainian instructor ‘Batja’ gives orders and feedback. He believes the Russian soldiers are highly motivated.
The Ukrainian ‘Batja’ leads the soldiers in the Siberian Battalion.
- ‘Nationality doesn't matter. The most important thing is that we have the same goal.
The Sibir Battalion was established in October 2023. At the time, it was estimated that it consisted of around 60 Russian citizens.
The soldiers come from all over Russia. Many are from various minorities in Siberia.
Reporter: Kari Skeie/NRK
Photo: ©Frode Fjerdingstad/NRK