News

How “Stability” Has Really Been Achieved in Russia

Viktor Filinkov. Photo courtesy of Filinkov’s wife and OVD Info

Petersburg Anarchist Viktor Filinkov, Arrested in Terrorism Case, Says He Was Tortured
Mediazona
January 26, 2018

Antifascist Viktor Filinkov, arrested for alleged involvement in a terrorist network, has told members of the Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) he was tortured, according to the PMC’s report, which Mediazona has in its possession.

Airsoft: The Penza Terrorism Case

Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in Penza

On January 23, antifascist Viktor Filinkov disappeared in Petersburg. He was found two days later: the press service of the Petersburg court system related Filinkov had been remanded to police custody after confessing his involvement in a terrorist network whose members “profess[ed] the anarchist ideology.” Members of the Public Monitoring Commission were able to visit him in the pretrial detention center a day later.

Support anarchist and antifa prisoners in St.Petersburg and Penza!

We are currently fundraising to pay the lawyers working on several cases related to the police raids and arrests of anarchists and antifascists in St. Petersburg and Penza, Russia. 

As of now, two people in St. Petersburg and five in Penza are under arrest, while many others have been connected to their cases as witnesses. The raids and repressions are likely to continue. 

Arrests and searches of anarchists and antifascists in St.Petersburg

On January 23 antifascists Viktor Filinkov was kidnapped at the airport in St. Petersburg and was found two days later in a special detention facility of FSB (Russian Federal Security Service). He claimed to have been tortured by masked police and forced to give evidence in a terrorist case against himself.

On January 25 another activist, Igor Shishkin, was detained while walking a dog. His house was searched, as his wife said to OVD-Info.

Dmitry Buchenkov, anarchist and last Bolotnaya square defendant, flees Russia

Last Bolotnaya Square Defendant Flees Russia
RBC
November 9, 2017

In an interview with Current Time TV, Bolotnaya Square defendant Dmitry Buchenkov said he has left Russia for a European Union country.

He said he has applied for political asylum in this country. Buchenkov failed to say exactly where he had gone.

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.

Pyotr Ryabov, anarchist philosopher imprisoned for 6 days in Belarus, declared a hungerstrike

Petr Ryabov

October 11, the city court of Baranovichi, Belarus, sentenced Russian anarchist Pyotr Ryabov. Petr, an anarchist philosopher and a lecturer of the department of Philosophy in the Moscow State Pedagogical University was sentenced to 6 days of prison for "minor hooliganism" and "distribution of extremist materials" (statutes 17.1 and 17.11 of the Codex of misdemeanors of Belarus). The court  has declared the Belarusian anarchist journal "Svoboda ili Smert issue 6" (published in 2007) an extremist material.

Hundreds of protesters detained after massive wave of repressions in Belarus

March 25 was planned by some liberal opposition leaders as the day of the biggest protest against Lukashenko’s policies this year. The biggest one on the wave of the recent anti-governmental demonstrations that started in February this year. It ended with the biggest police mobilization in years bringing thousands of riot cops to Minsk and detaining hundreds of people preventive and during the demonstration. This Saturday capital of Belarus looked like a war zone created by the police.

Belarus: Dozens of anarchists arrested in Minsk after anti-government protest

Today in three major cities of Belarus – Minsk, Mogilev and Grodno – people took the streets protesting against government attempts to collect tax off the unemployed (details of the story HERE). In Minsk, demonstrations managed to gather more that 1 500 people, in Mogilev and Grodno 1 000 each. These are the biggest protests those cities have seen in decades.

Anarchist Black Cross’s Annual Overview of Repressions 2016

The Russian authorities continue to prosecute and jail our comrades. In the summer and fall of 2016, demonstrations of solidarity with the convicts were held all across the globe. The anarchists are furthermore suffering repressions in jails, but keep the spirit up. If you think that we have missed something important in our article or are aware of other repressions, feel free tocontact us at abc-msk@riseup.net  

Free at last  

"Avtonom 37": help us publish it!

"Avtonom" magazine is the most well-known and fancy anarchist paper of the exUSSR, published since year 1995. Now, the next, 37th issue is ready to be published. It will tell you:

  • how the state is destroying education system;

  • about sweatshop exploitation in "Magnit" chain stores;

  • who profits on Syria war;

  • what are the impressions about the Donbass war for an anarchist from Kiev and for a communist from Luhansk region;

  • about feminism in Muslim countries;

Finnish nazi group killed bypasser during their street event

According to still not fully confirmed information the Nazist Finnish Resistance Movement (Suomen Vastarintaliike, SVL) killed a bypasser during their street event on the 10th of September, near Helsinki Railway Station. The next day SVL published on their website a picture and a video featuring the person they assaulted, along with a text glorifying their violence. According to the victim’s family, the young man that SVL assaulted died in hospital last night, September 16th at 10 PM, from the serious injuries he received.

Moscow Anarchist Black Cross: Animal defender and eco-activist Elena Nadezhkina from Russia is seriously ill, she needs help and solidarity

Elena Nadezhkina took part in different animal defence-, eco- and social actions, international solidarity actions and many others. Until 2009 she volunteered for several years: rescued dogs and cats and found homes for them.  Moreover, Elena participated in ecological projects: campaign against deforestation, campaign for political prisoners of the Khimki forest defence and other social actions.

Sweden: solidarity actions with russian anarchists and antifa in Malmo and Burlenge

Within days of  actions with the anarchists and anti-fascists imprisoned in Russia actions in the city of Malmyo in the south of the country and in at the youth festival  "Peace & Love Festivalen"  in the city of Burlenge have taken place.

In Malmyo on the building opposite to the central railway station two banners have been hung out: Destroy police stay (Down with a police state) and Free Putins's prisoners (Freedom to Putin's prisoners).

France: Solidarity action with the Russian anarchists in Lyon

From 1 to July 10, 2016, a call to action in solidarity with anarchists and antifascists imprisoned-e-s in Russia was made by the Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow. Indeed, the political and repressive situation in Russia is very hard for our comrades fighting for anarchism and fascism (and more generally for all those fighting for human rights), and many of them found themselves es imprisoned in high security prisons or labor camps because of their activism, often condemned es for terrorism or violence.

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,...

3 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...

4 months ago