Ukraine has formed the "Siberia" battalion, consisting entirely of Russian citizens who want to fight against the Russian invasion, Bloomberg reports.

The battalion includes 60 Russians and representatives of ethnic minorities in Russia who came to Ukraine through third countries. But there may be more.

Unlike volunteer groups such as the "Russian Freedom" Legion, which have declared their support for Ukraine, these soldiers are part of the regular Ukrainian army and are expected to be sent into combat very soon.

In particular, the Yakuts and Buryats, who want their regions to become independent from Russia and see Ukraine's victory as a step toward that goal, will fight for the Ukrainian army.

"We need to destroy the Kremlin regime. I want Yakutia to be a free democratic country, it is a very rich country, but the people are so poor. Only government officials who serve Putin are prospering," said a 29-year-old Yakut with the call sign Vargan.

There are no prisoners of war there, only volunteers. Upon joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russians underwent a "thorough check" process to ensure their support for Ukraine, which lasted over a year. Ukraine plans to speed up this procedure to attract more Russians.