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The Father Frost against Putin Festival in Helsinki is coming up on January 10–12, 2025!

Дед Мороз Против Путина 2025

We welcome activists, curious minds, and politically engaged people from around the world! 

Our main task is to promote the organization of a mass movement for change in Russia. Only by creating it can we hope to dismantle Putin's authoritarian oligarchic regime, to develop a peaceful Russia. It is also important for us to create stable ties between Russian political emigration from different countries and solidarity. We advocate the end of Putin's military aggression against Ukraine, for peace between nations.

Our festival offers:

Throwback to Father Frost against Putin 2023

Фотоколлаж "Дед Мороз против Путина - 2023"

The 10th anniversary of “Father Frost against Putin” festival is approaching, so it is time for a throwback to what happened last January. Then the festival was held for the first time in three years. Initially the border was closed by Covid, then by the war in Ukraine, but in the end it was decided to continue organizing the festival in Helsinki, just under new conditions.

Welcome to Father Frost against Putin-concert in Helsinki, 12th of January

Where: Lepakkomies, Helsinginkatu 1
Entry €12 (standard) or €20 (support price)

Timetable:
8 PM Doors
8.30 Pavel Semchenko:

"10 reasons to become a dictator", audiovisual performance

8:45 Cave Moss

Laid-back but energetic alternative rock from Helsinki
Aatu Kovanen : guitar & vocals
Iikka Puolakka : bass & vocals
Ahti Kulo : synths, percussions and vocals
Kalle Kauranen : drums

9:30 Asko Keränen

Program of Father Frost against Putin -festival 10 years celebration 12th-14th of January 2024 is now published

Festival program is now published. 

Father Frost against Putin -festival was organised first time 10 years ago. From 2014 to 2020 festival was organised seven times, and Russian grassroots organisations told about their activities and networked between each other. 

Events by Autonomous Action and Moscow Anarchist Black Cross in International Anti-Authoritarian Gathering Anarchy 2023

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first anti-authoritarian international, international meetings are being prepared in the Swiss Jura mountains. They will take place from July 19 to 23, 2023. 

You may read the full information on the website

As part of the gathering, we would like to announce two events, organised by Autonomous Action and Anarchist Black Cross – Moscow.

Supporting anarchist and anti-war prisoners in Russia

Your desperate mother. Trends of Order and Chaos, episode 82 (27 November) 

Hi everyone, it's Sunday, 27th of November and we're continuing our Trends of Order and Chaos podcast. This is episode 82. Here are the top stories on last week's agenda.

Around the death of Yevgeny Nuzhin

The story continues with the public execution of prisoner Yevgeny Nuzhin with a sledgehammer. He surrendered to the Ukrainians, but was extradited to the Russian state. Two weeks have passed since the video of Nuzhin's execution appeared, but during this time no reasonable explanation has been given by the Ukrainian side.

Tekmil: A Tool For Collective Reflection

Tekmil is an instrument of collective reflection. This article conveys a specific experience of the anarchist organization in Rojava with tekmil.

Tekmil is an instrument of collective reflection. The historical root of what we know as tekmil can be traced to authoritarian communist traditions, such as Stalinism. Although, Mao was the first one among these traditions to put so much emphasis and importance to the methods of criticisms and self-criticism. Overall, we can state that critique and self-critique has been valuable for revolutionary movements in general, and has never been alien to non-authoritarian revolutionary movements in general.
In the context of Rojava, tekmil can be translated as "report" - further, one can trace the development and transformation of this meaning depending on the situation. Still, the literal translation makes sense to keep in mind - humbleness and shortness are valued in tekmil. It contains many cultural codes, mechanisms and ideological assumptions, and it requires an understanding and a solid philosophical and ideological foundation.

Festival Feast After Plague (formerly Father Frost against Putin) is postponed to the next January

Unfortunately, we must once again delay our festival, this time due to war. Our concept was always to be an open meeting of Russian (and not only Russian) activists in Helsinki. But now borders are closed, and it is unclear if any open social activism in Russia will be possible from now on.

But we plan to organise our festival anyway. We still have spaces and organising group. Our preliminary new dates for the festival are 6th-9th of January 2023.

"Open up! Police!": Street artist arrested for "justifying terrorism"

Максим Смольников xadad

The family of Maksim Smolnikov needs financial support to cover lawyer costs and the transfer to a pre-trial detention center. If you want to help, please transfer money to the ABC Moscow PayPal (abc-msk@riseup.net) or if you are in Russia directly to the family account:  4274320068140352.

Festival program published: Welcome to Father Frost Against 2020 - festival

«Дед Мороз Против»-2020

Father Frost Against is a cultural and political festival, focused on critical thinking, reflection and development of new activism strategies. Held in Helsinki, Finland from the 3rd to the 5th of January and organized by local activists, as well as participants from Russia and the post-Soviet space.

They‘re coming closer ! - International call to support Rigaer94 (Berlin)

SEK in front of Rigaer94

On the 15th of November, five hundred cops, including special forces with assault rifles, attacked Rigaer94 to make a house search in the case of a trouble in a shop some month before. The investigation is labeled as „robbery and bodily harm“. A video published by the shop owner shows, that this is an obvious lie in order to create a reason for a martial attack against rebellious structures. The pigs came at 6 o‘clock in the morning and managed to open the doors quickly, meanwhile aiming with their rifles towards anyone showing up at the windows.

Roter Stern is more than soccer!

Logo Roter Stern

I find myself in a former police van with football fans, punk-rock and political discussions about the upcoming elections in Austria. Мy friend and I hadn’t gotten seats in the fan bus and guys agreed to give us a ride in the ex cop wagon. We drive through the towns and villages of Saxony to Schildau, where the game of Roter Stern and TSV 1862 Schildau is scheduled. We drink beer and show «fuck you» signs from the window to the Nazis gathered together for the match.

Program published: Father Frost against Putin 2018 is сoming up soon. From 6 to 7 January Helsinki will host the fifth annual festival

Дед Мороз против Путина

Various initiatives and activists from post-soviet countries and the rest of Europe will be part of this event sharing stories and reports on the situation in their regions. There are plenty of reasons for exchanging perspectives: an increase in repression and a new round of political confrontations are accelerating certain historical processes, not giving us a chance to catch our breath.

Author columns

Антти Раутиайнен

June 11th is the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason & All Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners. This action day has a long history, it was organized first time 20 years ago in 2004. In the first year, we managed to paint a graffiti to wall of one of the most guarded objects of Moscow,...

6 months ago
Антти Раутиайнен

Anarchist group ANA Regensburg hosted my online-presentation on 16th of May 2024, in which I discussed tactics of anti-war activism in Russia, and reasons why the anti-war movement has not been able to make an impact to change the course of events yet. Cases of anarchists repressed for anti-war...

6 months ago