Russian dissidents warn ‘We will destroy Putin’s regime’ as they fight for Ukraine

The Siberian Battalion is fighting Russia (Image: Getty)

Russian dissidents fighting for Ukraine in the war have vowed to "destroy Putin's regime" after taking control of villages in Russia.

Three Ukraine-aligned military units—the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Siberian Battalion and the Russian Volunteer Corps – announced this week that they had launched cross-border attacks from Ukraine into Russia.

They claimed to have taken control of villages near Belgorod, a Russian city close to the Ukrainian border.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry has said it had repelled an attempt to "make a breakthrough into the Russian border territory in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts."

The Siberian Battalion is a group of Russian fighters who have sided with Ukraine in the war.

READ MORE: Vladimir Putin to send troops to NATO border as he issues thinly veiled threat

The dissidents have vowed to destroy Putin's regime (Image: Getty)

Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, members of the battalion explained what they aim to do with their incursions into Russia.

The outlet quoted one man called Johnny, who left Russia when the invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022.

He said: "I thought there would be a revolution in Russia when the mobilization started – this was my mistake.

"When the full-scale war began, my mind was set, and I decided to join any battalion I could in Ukraine. From my school years, I have always fought against (Vladimir) Putin's regime.

"First of all, we have to liberate all territories, and afterward, fully destroy Putin's regime."

As fighting in Ukraine continues, Putin has warned the West that he is prepared to use nuclear weapons if American troops are sent to the country.

Putin says Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons (Image: Getty)

He told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA Novosti: “From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready.

“[In the US] there are enough specialists in the field of Russian-American relations and in the field of strategic restraint.

“Therefore, I don’t think that here everything is rushing to it [nuclear confrontation], but we are ready for this.”

The Russian President also said that Moscow is ready for peace talks with Ukraine.

He continued: “Weapons exist in order to use them. We have our own principles

“Russia is ready for negotiations on Ukraine, but they should be based on reality – and not on cravings after the use of psychotropic drugs."