Russian Volunteer Corps

Russian Volunteer Corps is a unit of the Tymur Special Unit, as part of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine.

The unit was formed in August 2022, highly motivated by their sympathies towards the Ukrainian cause, and united against the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Their ambitions are for the creation of a new Russian ethnostate.

It has participated in some of the largest-scale operations across Ukraine and within Russian territory, notably a series of incursions into the neighboring Russian regions. This included a raid into Bryansk Oblast in March 2023 and Belgorod Oblast since May 2023. The unit also fought alongside the Free Russia Legion, which possessed different ambitions for the future of Russia, although they cooperated effectively. The unit has since fought in Avdiivka and Kharkiv Oblast, specifically defending the city of Vovchansk.

Many groups exist under the unit, including the Karelian Group, previously known as the Karelian National Battalion, and the Free-Cossack Detachment.

In late March 2025, the German Volunteer Corps, a group that had been trained and fought alongside the Russian Volunteer Corps since February 2023, left and joined the 49th Assault Battalion.