Russian People's Liberation Army

Uncommon card · No. 159212

The Russian Liberation People's Army (Russian: Русская освободительная народная армия, РОНА; transcription: Russkaya osvoboditel'naya narodnaya armiya, RONA), also known as the Kaminski Brigade or the Waffen-Sturm-Brigade RONA, was a collaborationist military formation composed of Russian nationals from the territory of the Lokot Autonomy in the German-occupied regions of the Soviet Union. The unit became known for its poor discipline, frequent drunkenness, and extreme brutality, which reportedly shocked even experienced members of the SS. The formation originated in late 1941 as an auxiliary police militia numbering around 200 men. By mid-1943, it had expanded to 10,000–12,000 personnel, equipped with captured Soviet tanks and artillery, and was commanded by Bronislav Kaminski. In 1942, Kaminski implemented forced mobilization of local residents, turning the militia into a small regular army of the Lokot Autonomy, also referred to as the "Lokot Republic". The force effectively became Kaminski...

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