MELITOPOL, February 2. /TASSS/. Three Turkish nationals have joined the Pavel Sudoplatov volunteer battalion, which is currently being established in the Zaporozhye Region.
"I came from Turkey to support our Russian brothers. Just like those whom I came with, my friends, we are against the Nazis, we know what is going on here. We know that Russia is fighting not against Ukraine, but against Nazis who control Ukraine," a volunteer, code name ‘Uzun,’ told TASS.
When asked about the potential reaction of Turkish authorities, another volunteer, code name ‘Laz’ noted that Turkey and Russia have good relations, so he believes that Ankara will take this decision "well."
"We know that it is not the Ukrainians or Ukrainian forces that stand against us. Russia is going to win this war," he added.
In mid-January, Acting Zaporozhye Region Governor Yevgeny Balitsky announced that the Pavel Sudoplatov battalion was joined by volunteers from Serbia. Earlier, he noted that the unit already performs a certain set of duties. In September 2022, Balitsky signed a decree on the establishment of three volunteer battalions - one named after Sudoplatov, one named after St. Andrew the First-Called, and the ‘Slavic Guard’ battalion.