Caesar, a representative of the anti-Putin paramilitary organization, expressed in an interview with the Observer in Kyiv, “There will be an additional unexpected event within the next month or so.” “Our third undertaking will occur, followed by a fourth and fifth. We possess ambitious strategies. We aim to liberate all the areas under our control.”

Russian soldiers captured 10 prisoners and engaged in skirmishes with the Russian army, occupying villages near the Russian city of Belgorod. In early June and May, a few hundred Russian military volunteers, forming a legion, carried out attacks. According to Caesar, two members of the anti-Kremlin militia were killed.

He described the recent incursion near the town of Shebekino as a local reconnaissance and raid operation. Caesar, who moved from Moscow to Ukraine when the full-scale invasion began, said he packed his Russian passport. He jokingly ran away from the border guards, saying, “There was no one to show it to, no guards at the border.”

The prosecutors have charged him with treason, including crimes. The media has dubbed him as a 49-year-old Nazi and extremist, and the Russian state media has called him Caesar. Critics have ridiculed the project run by Ukraine’s Chief Military Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, as a tinpot PR legion. Maximillian Andronnikov is the real name of Caesar, a former fitness coach from St. Petersburg and Sochi.

It was a complete lie. Our appearance was distinct. They dressed up dead bodies in Ukrainian uniforms and placed them on TV. He added that the reports of heavy losses among his guerrillas from the Kremlin were exaggerated and absurd. The armored vehicles seized from Russian stocks mostly belonged to the legion. He acknowledged that his militia could only function with military assistance from Ukraine, but he also claimed that they had created their own independent territory on Russian soil.

Since 2014, Caesar has additionally deployed pro-Russian combatants in the conflict but formerly belonged to the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), an extremist group that openly opposes Putin. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the brigade, operating in Ukraine, have affiliations with right-wing associations, and there have been allegations.

Speaking to The Observer, the self-proclaimed “constitutional monarchist” Caesar stressed that the legion’s fighters included people from various political views, including supporters of poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as well as disenchanted supporters of the FSB spy agency and right- and left-wing individuals whom he admired, such as Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill.

He said that there are different perspectives, Caesar. We are a prototype of the future Russian society. He said that the legion was dying and fighting for both Russia’s and Ukraine’s future. He was outraged by the Kremlin’s murderous bombing of civilians.

“It’s a widespread challenge, a shared tragedy,” he remarked.

In the previous month, when he initiated a revolt with weapons, Caesar mentioned that Prigozhin’s rebellion had diminished Putin. He stated that the leader of the Wagner private army had initially planned to seize and oust Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister of Russia, and Valery Gerasimov, the commander in chief.

Caesar stated, “The Moscow armored column was sent towards the improvised resistance of Prigozhin, without a formal meeting, to take over the southern city. After learning about Prigozhin’s intentions, the FSB discovered that the military command of Russia’s southern district moved from Don-on-Rostov.”

The current location of Prigozhin is unknown. He was supposed to move to Belarus as part of a deal, signing defense contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense and working together with Wagner fighters. However, on Thursday, Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, said that Prigozhin’s home in St. Petersburg was raided by officials. During the raid, they discovered fake passports, wigs, gold bars, cash, and weapons.

Caesar hypothesized that Prigozhin, by retracting his armored group, had thus far evaded retribution due to his possession of kompromat or incriminating material on Putin. “I do not hold Prigozhin in high regard. He and Putin share identical principles. Prigozhin possesses greater charm and appeals to ultra-nationalists who yearn for an unwavering battle. They believe that employing more severe tactics will lead them to triumph. However, this viewpoint lacks pragmatism.”

He expressed, “There is a significant issue regarding finances.” Numerous soldiers from the provinces, lacking morals, who enlisted due to their financial struggles, had not received their wages. He mentioned that there was discontentment within the Russian military, fueled by the belief that the Putin administration would crumble by the conclusion of 2024. While seated in a café in Kyiv, he anticipated that it was presently “fragmented and precarious”.

He went on to say, “I am absolutely confident that Ukraine’s counter-offensive will be successful.” The departure of the Russian army lowers their morale. They came very close to capturing the city. I personally battled against them in Bakhmut. Wagner was the most capable military force of Russia. He claimed that the disbandment of Wagner enhances Ukraine’s chances on the battlefield.

Whenever he faced aggression, Caesar depicted Putin as a diminutive and fearful “delinquent boy” who attempted to intimidate his opponents into surrender, but was unsurprisingly critical of him.

He stated, “In Moscow, the poor living conditions are the result of a corrupt government and widespread theft – instead of living poorly because they choose to, he explains that they have no choice. They have become aggressive and unintelligent. By appealing to their most basic instincts, he has turned the Russian population into a marginalized and debased group.”

In his final years, Putin had grown paranoid and frightened, similar to Stalin, and had amassed power for 23 years. He was willing to exile liberals, who were peaceful and non-violent “dreamers,” as his weaker opponents, and he dismissed any dialogue as pointless. The only way he saw to get rid of them and overthrow him was by using arms.

He stated, “We embody the finest, most courageous, and most intelligent segment of Russia.” Throughout the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland, the “tiny Finnish military” displayed great bravery in their battle against “the Red Bear” in 1939-40, and the leader likened his modest group to them.

He asserted that the legion received backing from numerous Russians who were tired of Putin’s governance. Following their evacuation, he confessed that he encountered only a handful of local residents during his short visits.