News

Festival program is now released! The Father Frost Against Putin 2026 Festival will take place on January 10 in Helsinki

 Festival program is now released!

Father Frost Against Putin 2026 is a festival where Russian speakers living in Finland and beyond, Finns, and people of other nationalities come together to talk about freedom, solidarity, and a future without war.

YouTube as a Tool of Resistance — a lecture by Nika Vodvud at the festival Father Frost against Putin in Helsinki

12 PM - 13:35 PM (Helsinki time)
January 10, Oranssi, Kaasutehtaankatu 1
Free entry

YouTube can still — and should — be used for activism. Nika Vodwood (nixelpixel) will talk about approaches and tools that help you use algorithms to your advantage, find your audience, and create YouTube videos on social and political topics. At the end, she will answer any questions during the Q&A.

The mother of antifascist Anton Kalakin, sentenced to six years for two comments, visited him in Irkutsk Prison-1

 

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.

Fundraiser for Those Who Escaped by Anarchist Black Cross Moscow

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.

Fundraiser: 2200 euros for three months of legal work for Ruslan Sidiki

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.

Irkutsk anti-fascist Anton Kalakin was sentenced by the military court to six years in prison for two comments

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.

Presentation on Anti-War Resistance in Russia and Anarchists at the Bristol Anarchist Bookfair, November 1

On Saturday, the Bristol Anarchist Bookfair will take place at The Elmgrove Centre (Elmgrove Road, Bristol, BS6 6AH) from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event will feature 20 free workshops and presentations, including Anti-War Resistance in Russia and Anarchists by Antti Rautiainen in the Frome Room.

Support the Legendary Anarchist Ilya Romanov

Former political prisoner and anarchist Ilya Romanov is in need of our help. After 20 years of imprisonment in Ukraine and Russia, a stroke, and numerous surgeries, he remains severely disabled — yet he refuses to give up. Ilya continues to paint, stay in touch with friends, and keeps his sharp mind and sense of humor.

Dmitry Osyagin Turned Out Not to Be an Anarchist — He Considers Himself an Anti-War Democrat

Action by Osyagin

The Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow has received information that Dmitry Osyagin does not identify himself as an anarchist or an anti-fascist — he considers himself an anti-war democrat. The reason why the security services attributed to him participation in the “Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists” (BOAK) is currently unknown. It may be due to the authorities’ desperation to announce the arrest of at least one member of this elusive underground organization.

Statement of the Anarchist Black Cross Moscow on Ruslan Sidiki

Anarchist Ruslan Sidiki, who was sentenced to 29 years in prison over two sabotage actions against the Russian war machine, openly stated that he contacted Ukrainian military intelligence in order to organize an attack on the Russian air base in Dyagilevo, where strategic bombers are stationed. In published letters he explained his motive:

Fundraiser to support anarchist Kirill Bobrov!

Anarcho-syndicalist from Ufa Kirill Bobrov has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for participating in the arson of the United Russia party office and for creating an "extremist community" in 2012. The criminal case over the arson was opened 13 years ago. Kirill left the country at that time, but in 2023 he returned to Russia for personal reasons and was arrested right at the airport.

Talks in London and Brighton on Anarchist Prisoners in Russia

On Saturday, September 20, the Anarchist Bookfair will take place in London — one of the main annual events of the anarchist movement in England. As part of the program, Antti Rautiainen will give a talk titled “Anarchism and Anti-War Resistance in Russia.”

Time: 11:00–12:45

Colonial System of Russia in the Context of War with Ukraine

The presentation examines Russia's colonial policies and their impact on Indigenous regions, highlighting the strategic neglect, economic exploitation, and disproportionate burden placed on these communities during the war, as well as acts of resistance.

Presentation by Zarema, Feminist Anti-War Resistance Finland and World Congress of Dagestan activist.

Recorded in Father Frost against Putin -festival, 11th of January 2025.

Support anarchist Dmitry Osyagin, sentenced to 15 years for arson of a court building and anti-war comments

Anarchist and anti-war activist Dmitry Osyagin from Kazan has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for setting fire to a court building. He was charged under three articles: calling for "extremism", "terrorism" and committing a “terrorist act” .

Fundraising for Lawyers' Work of the Tyumen Case against anarchists and anti-fascists in September

For over a year now, the trial in the Tyumen case has been moving through the Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg. The defendants—anarchists and anti-fascists—were detained in 2022 and subjected to brutal torture. Since then, there have been 30 court hearings. Each one is a step in a long fight to protect the lives and futures of people who dared to resist.

In June, we managed to raise 48,000 rubles (about 500 euros). Thank you to everyone who contributed—your solidarity keeps this going.

Russian Authorities Consider Any Anarchist Black Cross Groups an "Undesirable Organization"

At the beginning of 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice added the American Anarchist Black Cross Federation to its list of “undesirable organizations.” At that time, Anarchist Black Cross Moscow (ABC Moscow) publicly stated that it had no organizational ties to the American federation: ABC groups worldwide are autonomous, and Russian groups have never been part of the American federation.

Feminist Solutions to End War: Russian Book Translation Launch and Discussion

Can feminism help stop war? Yes—and it already is. This presentation introduced key ideas from the newly translated book Feminist Solutions for Ending War, focusing on selected chapters that explore the crucial role feminism plays in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Following the presentation, participants engaged in a collaborative discussion and brainstorming session. Together, we explored practical ways to apply feminist strategies in everyday antiwar activism and resistance efforts.

Columns

Антти Раутиайнен

Maroon communities of Americas are of interest to anti-authoritarian left of the area, looking for inspiration outside White/European context. One way to explain history of Cossacks of Ukraine to an American Leftist would be to define it as European analogue of a Maroon society. Listen this...

5 months ago
Антти Раутиайнен

I will give a presentation about repression against anarchists and anti-fascists in Russia at the Baltic Anarchist Bookfair in Tartu next Saturday at 1 PM EET/Moscow time (12 PM CET) at Hell (Tiigi 76A). You can also follow the presentation on Twitch. Short summary fo the talk:  After...

5 months ago
Антти Раутиайнен

In September 2024, I gave a presentation in Dresden about struggles against the right-wing government in Finland. Freedom published a text based on that presentation last September, but due to character limitations I had to skip an introduction to the Finnish party system. This background is...

9 months ago
Антти Раутиайнен

Repression targets Chita anarchists already jailed for war resistance and anti-regime graffiti The regional prosecutor’s office for the Trans-Baikal region in eastern Siberia has submitted a petition to a local court to recognize the “Trans-Baikal Left Association” as a terrorist...

10 months ago