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Members of outlawed Ukraine’s Freedom of Russia Legion become defendants in criminal cases

"Investigators have initiated at least 20 criminal cases against members and supporters of the Legion," the source said

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. About 20 members of the outlawed in Russia organization Ukraine’s Freedom of Russia Legion have become defendants in criminal cases under articles of terrorism and other offenses, a source in law enforcement agencies told TASS.

"Investigators have initiated at least 20 criminal cases against members and supporters of the Legion," the source said.

Thus, two residents of the Stavropol Region and the Yaroslavl Region were detained on charges of preparing terrorist acts. In addition, several administrative cases were initiated against persons printing propaganda leaflets and conducting propaganda of the organization’s ideas on the Internet.

On Thursday, the Russian Supreme Court designated Ukraine’s Freedom of Russia Legion as a terrorist organization. According to the files of the case, the Ukrainian paramilitary unit Freedom of Russia Legion was created in March 2022 on instructions from President Vladimir Zelensky as a project for recruiting volunteers from among the anti-Russian citizens of Russia to participate in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian army. The organizers of the unit see their ultimate goal as the decentralization of the Russian Federation and they hope to achieve this by creating an army of Russian citizens to overthrow the current government and undermine the constitutional framework, as well as by carrying out terrorist attacks on the territory of Russia.