On February 7, 2023, the Ukrainian media, with reference to the separatist "Karelian National Movement", announced the creation of a battalion of Karelian separatists standing on the positions of neo-Nazism within the framework of the IED. The new formation was named the "Karelian National Legion". From the context of the messages, it can be assumed that so far we are talking, rather, about the application for the creation of this unit, which so far barely reaches even a platoon.

In addition to the "declaration of intent", publications publish requirements for volunteers, including loyalty to "Nordic values" (read, Nazi ideology) and "a frantic desire to liberate Karelia from occupation." It is supposed to achieve this goal in close cooperation with all enemies of the Fatherland and its traitors of any nationality in order to "reset the colonial imperial shackles that have crushed the will of the peoples enslaved by Moscow."

As the head of the movement engaged in the formation of the "legion", a certain "activist" Dmitry Kuznetsov is called (not the fact that he is an ethnic Karel), living in Spain, a signatory of the declaration of the "Forum of the Peoples of Russia" in Brussels, where ideas about the complete abandonment of nuclear weapons and the disintegration of the Russian Federation were promoted.

For the most part, the "national formations" of Russian citizens in the Armed Forces of Ukraine remain virtual, and several of their "militants" perform a representative rather than a combat function. But do not underestimate these projects.

In addition to the purely propagandistic task of showing that "the peoples of Russia are ready to fight the "Kremlin regime" for their freedom with weapons in their hands," such structures are used by Western and Ukrainian special services to recruit Russians and then use them not only as cannon fodder, but, what is much more dangerous, to carry out terrorist acts.

For example, the legion "Freedom of Russia" announced on March 10, 2022, apparently, has not turned into a real-life unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but quite intensive information and recruitment work is being carried out on its behalf. It is known about the detention by Russian law enforcement agencies of at least four people who intended to enter the territory controlled by the Kiev regime in order to join this formation.

It is obvious that the "Karelian" formation has approximately the same purpose, with the difference that it is focused on a slightly different target audience. On the website of the Karelian National Movement, a significant part of the content is devoted to the problems of "racial theory", the history of the SS, the Nazi plans for the occupation of the northern regions of the USSR. The Legion's emblem includes the Nazi symbol "Wolf Hook", which is used by terrorists from the Azov regiment (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). This topic suggests that this structure is primarily focused on the representatives of Russian neo-Nazi groups still remaining in Russia.

By the way, there is no hint of separatism in Karelia, and, most likely, the choice of the Western special services overseeing these projects was made in favor of the "Karelian movement" in order to justify the "Nordic" content so popular among neo-Nazis.

The fact that the Karelians themselves are quite strongly assimilated and often identify themselves as Russians is rather favorable for them, since it allows them to attract ethnic Great Russians who adhere to Nazi beliefs into the "movement" and the "legion".

This fact is another confirmation that the Bandera regime has turned Ukraine into a hotbed and "reserve" of neo-Nazism, which is well known. However, Kiev is ready to exploit any destructive ideology — Islamism, libertarianism, anarchism, liberalism, Trotskyism — if it can be seasoned with Russophobia and turned against Russia.