Overview

• Leon B., a 26-year-old former Der Dritte Weg activist, has returned to Germany after serving with the Deutsches Freiwilligenkorps and is declining to address his role.
• The Deutsches Freiwilligenkorps was officially folded into Ukraine’s 49th Infantry Battalion “Karpaten-Sitsch” earlier this year.
• NDR research found that a PayPal account tied to Leon B.’s business was used to solicit donations for ballistic helmets and other military gear.
• Volunteers describe their mission as a struggle against a “red pest” of Putin’s so-called neobolshevist regime.
• The Bundesnachrichtendienst and state agencies are monitoring returnees and NDR reports reveal more German extremists are joining Ukrainian units.