| Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group "Rusich" | |
|---|---|
| Диверсионно-штурмовая разведывательная группа «Русич» | |
 Patch of the Rusich Group featuring the kolovrat, a variant of the swastika | |
| Active | June 2014 – present |
| Country |  Russia |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | sabotage and assault reconnaissance group |
| Size | a few hundred people[1] |
| Part of |  Army of the South-East Wagner Group |
| Colours | White, gold, black |
| Engagements | |
| Website | vk |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Alexey Milchakov |
| Notable commanders | Alexey Milchakov Yan Petrovsky |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Part of a series on |
| Neo-Nazism in Russia |
|---|
The Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group (DShRG) "Rusich" (Russian: Диверсионно-штурмовая разведывательная группа «Русич», romanized: Diversionno-shturmovaya razvedyvatel'naya gruppa «Rusich») is a Russian far-right[2][3] and neo-Nazi paramilitary unit[4][5] that has been fighting against Ukrainian forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Its co-founder and leader is Alexey Milchakov and operates within the Wagner Group.[2][6] "Rusich" fought on the side of pro-Russian military in the Donbas war from June 2014 to July 2015, and in the Russian invasion of Ukraine alongside Russian troops.[7]
- ^ "The terrifying neo-Nazi mercenaries being deployed in Ukraine". Spectator.co.uk. 2 June 2024.
There are no more than a few hundred troops in the Rusich group
- ^ a b Townsend, Mark (20 March 2022). "Russian mercenaries in Ukraine linked to far-right extremists". The Guardian.
Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine, including the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group, have been linked to far-right extremism ... Much of the extremist content, posted on Telegram and the Russian social media platform VKontakte (VK), relates to a far-right unit within the Wagner Group called Rusich ... One post on the messaging app Telegram, dated 15 March, shows the flag of the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), a white-supremacist paramilitary ... Another recent VK posting lists Rusich as part of a coalition of separatist groups and militias including the extreme far-right group, Russian National Unity.
- ^ Šmíd, Tomáš & Šmídová, Alexandra. (2021). Anti-government Non-state Armed Actors in the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Czech Journal of International Relations, Volume 56, Issue 2. pp.48–49. Quote: "Another group of Russian citizens who became involved in the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine were members of the so-called right-wing units of the Russian Spring. Here we mean mainly extreme-right activists" ... "the members of Rusich around Milchakov are activists of various Russian extreme-right groups".
- ^ Kozhurin, Dmitry (27 May 2022). "Who Are The Neo-Nazis Fighting For Russia In Ukraine?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
Rusich is one of several right-wing groups that are actively fighting in Ukraine, in conjunction with Russia's regular armed forces or allied separatist units.
- ^ "Руни, православ'я та георгіївські стрічки. Що відомо про неонацистів у російській армії" [Runes, Orthodoxy and St. George ribbons. What is known about neo-Nazis in the Russian army]. BBC News Україна. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
- ^ "Wagner Group Contingent Rusich on the Move Again". New America. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
- ^ "Spiegel: "В составе российских войск в Украине воюют неонацисты"" [Spiegel: "Neo-Nazis are fighting as part of Russian troops in Ukraine"]. belsat.eu (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-05-27.