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Fires of Freedom was established last year, when Anarchist Black Cross groups were banned in Russia. T-shirts and tote bags from the Fires of Freedom project can now be ordered online. All profits from merchandise sales go towards supporting imprisoned anarchists and anti-fascists in Russia.

T-shirts:

• Sizes: XS to 3XL

Dima has started learning English and plans to learn the basics of German and French. In July and August, the project already sent him English and French textbooks. It is not yet clear whether these suited his needs, so the project wants to send him another batch of study materials, including a German textbook that we need to purchase for him.

Donation details:

Over the summer in Prosfygika, there will be a series of events about the different struggles all over the world of the internationalist comrades, collectives and organizations that contributed to the victory and defense of Prosfygika. The events will happen both in Athens as also as an online livestream.

The Tyumen Case has now been heard by the Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg of Russia for two years. The defence is currently presenting evidence in court proving the innocence of our comrades.

Six substantive hearings are scheduled for August and the first half of September. We continue our fight for the freedom of Nikita Oleynik, Deniz Aydin, Yury Neznamov, Danil Chertykov, and Roman Paklin.

In June, the Fires of Freedom took part in seven events across France. At each event, project representative and former political prisoner Ivan Astashin spoke about the connection between the war in Ukraine and political repression in Russia, Russian anarchists' opposition to the war, and the criminal cases brought against them.

Lawyer Igor Popovsky, who represented the anarchist Ruslan Sidiki and sought an investigation into his allegations of torture, has been detained on charges of “fraud on an especially large scale”. This was reported by The Insider media outlet, citing the leak-oriented Telegram channel “112.”

According to the channel, investigators claim that Popovsky received 6 million rubles from his client after promising to help terminate the criminal case through influence over the court and the prosecutor’s office.

Who needs Russian grassroots activism abroad? What use is there from it and what is its meaning? “Your actions don’t influence anything” is a common statement not only from the mouthpieces of Russian propaganda, but also, unfortunately, among Russian civil society.

Listen in Spotify

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.

At the "Father Frost against Putin 2026" festival, January 10 2026, political and trade-union activist Mikhail Lobanov talked about what is happening to the active part of Russian society — and how Russian socialists and anarchists should make use of the growing demand for left-wing ideas in order to prepare for the future struggle to democratize Russia and the world.

Autonomous Action, a Russian-speaking libertarian communist organisation since year 2002, has now an Instagram in English.

We hate Meta and other capitalist Mega corporations, but we choose our platforms according to reach, not according to purity of principles. In case you prefer horizontal non-profit platform, please follow our bilingual account in Mastodon.

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.”

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.

November 3 2025 Dmitry Petrov Senior – writer, journalist, and anarchist activist – presented his book The Parents’ Day in Helsinki.
It tells the story of his son, Dmitry Petrov (Leshy) Junior, a Russian anarchist and volunteer who went to fight for Ukraine and went missing while defending Bakhmut.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.