Their commander, a Ukrainian who introduced himself by the callsign Batya, said some of the recruits to Ukraine's newly-formed Siberian Battalion, the yellow and blue flag on their sleeves, were now ready for battle.
The officer said most are from among the indigenous peoples of Siberia and recruits said they want to fight against what they said was Russian imperialism both inside Ukraine and in their homelands.
Without pity for women, children or the elderly," said a 41-year-old from Moscow region with the callsign Gandhi.
The Siberian Battalion's own Gandhi now wants to break up what he called Russia's "prison of nations".
"I think this will help the empire to collapse, the prison to be destroyed," he added.
Persons:
Max Hunder, Gennadiy, Vladimir Putin, Gandhi, Alexander Smith
Organizations:
Reuters, Siberian Battalion, Military, Free Buryatia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Russia, Gandhi
Locations:
Max Hunder KYIV, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Russia, Siberia, Russian, Buryatia, Lake Baikal, Moscow