Denis Gariyev (Gariev) is a founder and a leader of an Imperial Legion which is a military wing of a ultra-Ortodox Russian Imperial Movement (RID).

Before setting up the Imperial Legion, Gariyev worked as a school history teacher, served in the army and wrote for Praviy Vzglyad (RIght View) newspaper (some issues of the publication have been declared extremist in Russia). After 2014, he was often in Donbass, but it is not known what he was doing there. He sent medicine and food there and, according to an article on the RID website, helped the wounded and refugees. He told journalists that he participated in sending volunteers from Petersburg to southeastern Ukraine in rented vehicles, which the centre paid for from donations and part of the profits.

Just one day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Imperial Legion leader Denis Gariev wrote in his Telegram channel: “Without a doubt, we stand for the elimination of the separatist entity Ukraine. German intelligence has revealed that the Imperial Legion began fighting in Ukraine around March 2022. The fighters were recruited “mainly persons with military experience” and graduates of the already mentioned Partizan combat training centre in St. Petersburg. The militants have already suffered casualties. Denis Gariyev was wounded and his long-time deputy was killed near Izyum in mid-May. At least two other right-wing extremists have been seriously wounded.