The Pohonia Battalion is a small organization of Belarusian exiles based in Poland and other European countries. They hope to join hundreds of their fellow countrymen, currently fighting for Ukraine.

According to the ambitious volunteer soldiers, Russian President Vladimir Putin must first be beaten in Ukraine before Belarus can be freed.

The group ages from 19 to 60. Most of them don’t even have a fighting experience.

When Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, cracked down on a big protest movement after claiming victory in a widely disputed election tainted by fraud in 2020, the majority of the participants were compelled to abandon their country.

“If Ukraine loses this war, Belarus will have zero chance to get free,” said dissident and restaurateur Vadim Prokopiev, who is leading the group.

He added if Ukraine wins the war that means Putin will be weakened and he wouldn’t support Lukashenko with resources.

Pohonia is yet to be admitted in the military unit for foreign volunteers, International Legion of Defense of Ukraine.

Hundreds of other Belarusian volunteers are already on the ground fighting alongside Ukrainian troops.

Four have been killed since the start of the war.