Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russians ready to engage in military conflict against Vladimir Putin in event of invasion

The chances of an invasion by Russia into Ukraine are becoming more likely despite some assurances of de-escalation from the Kremlin. Should an invasion happen into Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin may find Russians fighting against him in the conflict.

In a report by Al Jazeera, Russians, including far-right activists who fought on Ukraine’s side during the 2014 conflict, are ready to fight their own government again should Putin decide on an invasion. This comes as the US and the West have warned that Russia may make an incursion into Ukraine at any time. Russia has also amassed tens of thousands of troops in the areas close to the border it shares with Ukraine.

37-year-old Nikita Makeev, who is originally from St. Petersburg, told the outlet that he took a stand when people he knew were stationed in Donetsk, realizing that they were deployed to the area by their superior officers.

“My government was committing a crime on the territory of Ukraine, not with the help of some kind of ‘volunteers’ but regular troops – if one guy I know from the special forces is there, and another guy from another division, then this was clearly an intervention, an undeclared war. And as a citizen of Russia, I didn’t want to be an accomplice to this crime, and I didn’t see the point of joining any anti-war marches in Moscow or Peter, as my friends had done,” said Makeev. “The decision had been made without us.”

Makeev has said he is ready to fight for Ukraine again, noting that Ukraine is well-armed with the help of its foreign allies. Makeev added that Russians may try to invade, but with Ukraine being well-armed, “it won’t be a walk in the park.”

Russia has repeatedly denied plans to invade Ukraine, but the thousands of troops still remain at the borders. Moscow has instead accused both Ukraine and the West of provocation. Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in Luhansk are clashing over shelling allegations that occurred this week.

The Ukrainian military’s command center in the east Tuesday claimed that Russia-backed forces opened fire at a village in Stanytsia-Luhanska. The shells reportedly hit a kindergarten, with two civilians wounded and public infrastructure damaged. Parts of the village also suffered a power outage from the incident.