Антифа

Welcome to our latest news compilation on imprisoned anarchists, featuring the rescue of Denis Kozak, the release of Lev Skoryakin, the new sentence for Azat Mifthakov, the ongoing case of Yuri Mikheev and the significant case of the Chita anarchists.

Original article on the website Crimethinc. The title photo shows letters of solidarity to Alexey in prison.

We call on all those who are not indifferent to support the fundraising campaign to pay for the lawyers of Roman and other defendants of the "Tyumen case". Today, 1st of January is the last day you may donate!

Nikita is an anti-fascist from Surgut, a straight-A student and a vegetarian, very intelligent and always faithful to principles. Nick dreams of becoming a surgeon, and studied at Surgut University, but dropped out because of the inability of the university to organize the educational process, because of bureaucratic delays and imperfections of the education system, which he could not put up with. He studied a thousand books on physiology, history, politics, and art. Nick initiated the creation of a public libertarian library, his first non-profit educational project.

Danil is a convinced anti-fascist from Yekaterinburg, a loving husband and devoted friend, the soul of any company. He is one of the best veterinarians in Yekaterinburg, specializing as an orthopedic surgeon. Before his arrest, he worked in two veterinary clinics. Being a leading specialist in veterinary surgery, he constantly attended scientific conferences, improved his qualifications in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and mastered modern technologies in surgery and endoscopy. Danil trained veterinary specialists in Surgut.

Recently, the defendants in the «Tyumen case» have received the final version of the charges. According to the support group, in letters to relatives and friends they write that the investigation committee has added two further offenses to the «terrorism» charge:

• «the illicit manufacture of explosives as part of an organized criminal group» (part 3 of article 223.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), which envisages between fifteen and twenty years of deprivation of liberty

Yura is an antifascist and opponent of authoritarianism from Yekaterinburg, detained on August 31, 2022.

He is engaged in Thai boxing and studies computer technologies of graphic design. Yura is a talented freelance designer, recently he has been doing 3D modeling and drawing models for games and cartoons.

Tomorrow, December 2 at 17.00 in Berlin (Kadterschmiede, RIGAER STRASSE 94) will start a first presentation about Ilya Shakursky. Ilya is a Russian political prisoner, participant of the Network Case, anarchist, anti-fascist and eco-activist. On February 10, 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum security facility and also to a fine of 50,000 rubles. The investigation believes that he was the organizer of the “Network terrorist cell”. Ilya pleaded not guilty in court.

Deniz is an anti-fascist from Tyumen and was detained on August 30, 2022, with his friend Kirill Brik. (Kirill Brik signed a pre-trial agreement with the investigation, so the support team does not pay for his lawyer's services).

In September, Yura Neznamov had to fight for his health and medical care. A neoplasm appeared on his leg. Later it turned out to be a small benign tumor. All complaints about his health were ignored by the doctors of SIZO-1 in Tyumen (where the defendants in the "Tyumen case" are kept). The lawyer wrote a large number of complaints and obtained medical care for Yura. 

Drawing by Nikita Oleynik

Six anarchists from Russia have been held in pre-trial detention for a year on spurious charges of creating a "terrorist community". According to Russian law, our comrades face a total of 5 to 15 years of imprisonment for the charged articles, and 15 to 30 years of life imprisonment for organizing or leading a "terrorist community". The main proof of guilt is a confession given under torture.

Firefund calls everyone to support the crowdfunding to pay the lawyers for the defendants in the "Tyumen case". The guys have been in pre-trial detention for more than a year and they will face trials on the merits of the case. Families and relatives will have to pay for the participation of lawyers in these sessions and they will not be able to cope without help!

In memory of anarchist from Moscow Dmitry Petrov, who gone in fights against Russia’s Invasion in Ukraine.

On October 9 at 20.30 will be shown a documentary film about participants of anti-fascist and anarchist groups during the anti-Putin protests of 2011-2012.

Because Kirill Brik, a defendant of the Tyumen case, signed a pre-trial agreement, Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow is no longer supporting him anymore. In some cases we do support prisoners who give testimonies against themselves, but we do not support prisoners that are testifying against others.

The translation was first published here.

The antifascist movement emerged in Russia in the late 1990s – early 2000s as a response to neo-Nazis’ violence: back then, the far-right was attacking migrants, homeless people, punks and anyone they didn’t like almost daily. Over the past couple of decades, the movement has changed significantly, having gone through murders of its participants, numerous criminal cases and now a split due to the war. Radio Svoboda (RS)  recounts the story of Russian antifa.

Eastern Siberia is a harsh and inhospitable region, which was a place of imprisonment and exile for socialists and anarchists under the tsarist regime. As you can see, history repeats itself.

Here is how the Anarchist Black Cross of Irkutsk sums up the year of its work. It actually coincided with the anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine: