Anarchist Black Cross

He will turn 31 years old. According to the support group, this is already the fourth birthday he is spending in captivity.

On April 21, the day after arriving at the colony, Azat was taken to the administration building. They tried to force him to clean a toilet there. After he refused, he was systematically tortured. Yesterday, The Insider published a detailed account by Azat, which they translated into English today. We are republishing an article by The Insider, in which Azat also names his torturers. You may find the postal address and details for financial support after the translation.

Anarchist, mathematician, and political prisoner Azat Miftakhov was sentenced on March 28, 2024, to 4 additional years in prison. On September 4, 2023, he was detained upon leaving IK-17 in Omutninsk, Kirov region, where he had already served his first sentence—allegedly for breaking a window at a United Russia office in Moscow’s Khovrino district. The basis for the new prosecution for “justifying terrorism” was (allegedly) comments Azat made while watching a TV program with other inmates about anarchist Mikhail Zhlobitsky, who carried out an explosion at the FSB office in Arkhangelsk.

How did a young, successful programmer become a “terrorist” and “extremist”? How did prisoners and prison guards react to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? And why did some prisoners, even those who were in prison for desertion, go to war? Viktor Filinkov, a defendant in the “Network” case who got 7 years in prison, talked about this in an interview with Posle.

He will turn 38 years old. Ruslan Sidiki is a citizen of Russia and Italy, an electrician from Ryazan, an explorer of industrial areas, bicycle traveler, anarchist, and partisan. Last year the 2nd Western District Military Court sentenced Ruslan Sidiki to a record 29 years in prison. Two acts of sabotage against Russian military infrastructure carried out by Ruslan in 2023 were classified by the court as “terrorist acts.”

Anarchist Ruslan Sidiki, who was sentenced to 29 years in prison, continues to await his appeal in the Ryazhsk pre-trial detention center (SIZO) in the Ryazan region.

But this is not just waiting — it is a constant struggle. Ruslan is being denied access to books, newspapers subscribed in his name do not reach him, and for the second time in a row the same investigator has refused to open a criminal case regarding the torture Ruslan endured during his arrest.

Other Defendants in the Antifa United Case Receive 2.5 and 3.5 Years.

Judge Ekaterina Stepina of the Izmailovsky District Court of Moscow delivered a verdict to three antifascists in the case of Antifa United, which law enforcement agencies—and now the court as well—consider an “extremist community.”

On February 8, Danil Chertykov turns 32 years old. He is celebrating his birthday in captivity for 4th time.

Danil Chertykov is an anarchist and antifascist from Yekaterinburg. He worked as a veterinarian, and in his free time devoted himself to music, playing guitar in the riot-folk band Rocker Balboa.

Anton is currently being held at Detention Center No. 1 (SIZO-1) in Irkutsk. He needs qualified legal assistance in order to challenge the verdict of the Second District Military Court, which in October sentenced him to six years in prison over two comments posted on Telegram.

Anton left the first comment in the Telegram channel “Irkutsk Blog” in July 2024. Under a post about Governor Igor Kobzev, who considers spending on the war to be a higher priority than repairing schools, Anton wrote:

In less than two months, you have donated 235,000 rubles (2600 euros) for Ruslan Sidiki’s legal defense. We have already paid the lawyer’s fees for November and December, and the remaining amount will cover expenses through the end of February.

The lawsuit was filed by the acting prosecutor of Zabaykalsky Krai, Stanislav Nemtsov. The defendants were Chita-based anarchists Aleksandr Snezhkov and Lyubov Lizunova. According to their support group, they were declared the “leaders” of the association. Anarchists took part in the court hearing on January 20 via video link.

According to the support group, Irina Viktorovna's date with Anton took place on December 3. According to her, his condition is "more or less ok" and much better than during the last meeting. In November, when she first visited Anton after his sentence, he did not smiled once.

He is turning 28. Alexey Rozhkov is an anarchist from the city of Berezovsky in the Sverdlovsk region. He was involved in punk music, previously played bass in the band Tell Me the Reason, and was interested in existentialist philosophy.

Support those who managed to avoid prison but ended up in forced exile.

This year, ABC-Moscow helped several anarchists facing criminal prosecution in Russia to safely leave the country. After evacuation, people find themselves in a new reality: without housing, without health insurance, and without a stable income. And even if the journey out of Russia is already behind them, difficult months still lie ahead — waiting for visas and legal status, searching for lawful employment, and dealing with everyday and medical needs.

He is turning 29. Alexey is a musician from Novotroitsk in Russia’s Orenburg region. In his youth, he wanted to become a soldier, and after an unsuccessful attempt to enroll in an airborne military school, he voluntarily went to serve his compulsory military service. During that time, his views evolved first toward Marxism, and later he came to identify himself as an anarchist.

After announcing the fundraiser to support the evacuation of persecuted comrades from Russia, ABC-Moscow received donations totaling approximately €2,000 (not including transfers intended for specific persecuted individuals). We thank everyone who took part in the fundraiser in any way!

Anarchist Ruslan Sidiki remains in detention — and we continue to support him. Right now we need to raise 200,000 rubles to pay for his lawyer’s work for the next three months. When someone is held in a pre-trial detention center (SIZO), this is the most expensive period to provide support. At the same time, it’s also when there are more opportunities — for the defense, regular lawyer visits, and filing appeals.

On 22–23 November, the annual Anarchist Book Fair Amsterdam will take place, featuring workshops and presentations by horizontal initiatives from around the world.

At the fair you will be able to get “Fires of freedom” merch, as well as try — on a donation basis — the prison-style DIY korjak cake and the detainees’ drink chifir.

Anton Kalakin is known as Anton 69 in the Irkutsk punk community. He works odd jobs: most recently, he worked as a security guard and repaired boats. He participated in solidarity events, attended punk concerts, helped homeless animals, was interested in local history, and ran a public page about the history of Irkutsk. He lived with his mother.