"Russian Dissidents and Volunteers: Fighting Against Putin's Rule in Ukraine"

Russia's military has deployed the National Army Combat Reserve (BARS) in Ukraine to supplement its regular forces, with footage and interviews revealing the unit's lack of heavy weaponry, air support, and malfunctioning communications during combat operations. BARS, a force of several thousand fighters, has been involved in recent fighting in Ukraine, plugging gaps in Russian manpower. President Putin has publicly praised the contribution of BARS, which is part of a patchwork of irregular forces helping Russia avoid a general draft.