Repressions against Russian anarchists

Repressions against Russian anarchists, March 2019. Over the past few years, a campaign of repression by the police and special services has been launched against anarchists in Russia. The situation of repression is constantly changing and being updated, and therefore we have prepared this list of cases against anarchists over the past few years, which is relevant for March 2019.

1. Repression against the Crimean anarchists.
Repressions in the Crimea began immediately after the arrival of Russia on the peninsula. In May 2014, the FSB detained several local residents – among them the anarchist Alexander Kolchenko. The detainees were accused of setting fire to the office of the Russian ruling United Russia party and preparing terrorist attacks against the Russian authorities. The detainees were also designated as members of the Ukrainian Right-wing organization Right Sector, which in itself is absurd – Alexander Kolchenko is a staunch and active anarchist and anti-fascist, during anarchist activities he had to engage in physical clashes with the ultra-right. The Right Sector itself refuted the statement of the FSB about the participation of detainees in their structure.Alexander Kolchenko admitted participation in the arson of the office of the party “United Russia”, but most of the other accusations against him were absolutely absurd. Witnesses in the Kolchenko case were forced to testify by torture. In the end, Kolchenko was sentenced under the “terrorist” article to 10 years in prison. At the moment Kolchenko is in the prison colony of the city of Kopeisk, Chelyabinsk region.
Address for letters: Kolchenko Alexander Alexandrovich, born in 1989, IK-6, detachment 4, ul. Kemerovskaya, 20, Kopeisk, Chelyabinsk Region, Russia, 456612.

The entire period of Russia’s presence on the Crimean peninsula, the anarchists were under pressure, all the time there was information about the actions of security forces against the anarchists. In February-March 2018, pressure against anarchists resulted in regular repression. Intelligence agencies conducted mass searches among anarchists and left-wing activists, as a result of which a local anarchist, Yevgeny Karakashev, was placed in a pre-trial detention center on suspicion of public calls for terrorism. The reason for the prosecution was the correspondence in a group chat on social networks. The real reason for the pressure is Eugene’s active participation in local social protests. On the eve of the detention, the mayor of the city of Evpatoria met with protesters against a new construction project, during which hints were made of future arrests. During the detention, Karakashev was beaten by the special forces.Address for letters: Karakashev Yevgeny Vitalyevich, born in 1979, PKU SIZO-1, Blvd. Lenina, 4, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 4295000

In addition to Karakashev, other Crimean activists were subjected to searches, tortures and beatings. One of them – Alexey Shestakovich – was forced to leave the country. The search in his home took place after he had submitted a notice to the administration for holding a public event. After that, special forces of the FSB “Alpha” broke into his house. Shestakovich was subjected to beatings and torture by putting a bag on his head, until he began to choke.

Help to Yevgeny Karkashev, a Crimean anarchist, suspected in calls for extremism
Yandex.Money: 410016292759070

In addition, you can transfer money to the accounts of the support group of Yevgeny Karakashev in the Crimea:
Recipient Bank – Russian National Commercial Bank (PJSC)
C / C № 30101810335100000607 in the Bank of Russia branch of the Republic of Crimea,
BIC – 043510607
INN – 7701105460
KPP – 910201001
Beneficiary’s account – 30232810440002000004
Recipient’s name – RNKB Bank (PJSC)
The purpose of the payment is to replenish the card 2200 0202 0130 8733 (spaces in the card number are not allowed) Alexey Borisovich Prisyazhnyuk

2. Repressions in the case of the “Network”.
In October 2017, one of the most notorious political affairs of modern Russia began – the case of the Network. FSB officers launched a hunt for anarchists and anti-fascists from Penza and St. Petersburg. Intelligence agencies kidnapped and monstrously tortured anarchists from these cities, demanding that they acknowledge their participation in the terrorist network – “The Network”, invented by the FSB, and tell on their friends and comrades. According to the FSB, the anarchists planned a series of terrorist attacks in 2018 during the presidential elections and the World Cup. The FSB claims that the cells of the anarchist terrorist group operated in Penza, St. Petersburg, Moscow and Belarus.
In the case of the Network in October 2017-January 2018, five people were detained from Penza, and four from St. Petersburg. Terrible torture was used against the detainees – Penza anarchists were daily tortured with electric current in the prison, until they agreed to recognize themselves as members of the terrorist community. After they refused from the testimony they had given under torture, torture resumed. At the same time, the executioners threatened to start torturing both the relatives and close ones of the anarchists, in case they refuse to give these testimonies again. Anarchists themselves were threatened with murder, which would be disguised as suicide. Mothers of detained anarchists were forced by investigators to give interviews to federal channels, in which they were to confirm the charges. Otherwise, the investigation threatened to make the situation of their children in prison worse.
Stories about torture in Penza:
https://zona.media/article/2018/02/09/penza-tortureshttps://zona.media/article/2018/02/16/shakurskyhttps://zona.media/article/2018/05/21/pchelintsev

Similar events took place in St. Petersburg. In January 2018, mass raids on anarchists and anti-fascists began here. Kidnapped anarchists were tortured for hours in FSB minivans. In the course of the torture, they were also required to confess on their and their friends’participation in a terrorist organization.
The story of the torture of one of the accused – Viktor Filinkov https://zona.media/article/2018/02/21/filin
In addition to the suspects, witnesses in the case were also tortured. The story of the torture of a witness in the case – Ilya Kapustin https://zona.media/article/2018/01/27/kapustin

At the moment, in the case of “Network” eleven people are arrested. Some of them cooperated with the investigation. The first detained in Penza, Yegor Zorin gave testimony, which formed the basis of the criminal case. Igor Shishkin, who was detained in St. Petersburg, not only gave evidence, but made a deal with the investigation, and received three and a half years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty and evidence against the rest of the detainees.

Addresses for letters:
Yuli Boyarshinov: Yuli Nikolayevich Boyarshinov, born in 1991, SIZO-3 FSIN, 191123 Russia, St. Petersburg, ul. Shpalernaya 25.
Vasily Kuksov: Vasily Alekseyevich Kuksov, born in 1988, PKU SIZO-1, ul. Karakozov, 30, Penza, Penza region, Russia, 440039.
Dmitry Pchelintsev: Dmitry Dmitrievich Pchelintsev, born in 1992, 440042, Penza, ul. Molodogvardeyskaya, 9, PKU IK No. 4, PFRSI.
Sagynbayev Arman: Sagynbayev Arman Dauletovich, born in 1992, PKU SIZO-1, ul. Karakozov, 30, Penza, Penza region, Russia, 440039.
Viktor Filinkov: Viktor Sergeevich Filinkov, born in 1994, SIZO-3 FSIN, 191123 Russia, St. Petersburg, ul. Shpalernaya 25.
Chernov Andrey: Chernov Andrey Sergeevich, born in 1989, PKU of pre-trial detention center-1, ul. Karakozov, 30, Penza, Penza region, Russia, 440039.
Ilya Shakursky: Ilya Alexandrovich Shakursky, born in 1996, PKU SIZO-1, ul. Karakozov, 30, Penza, Penza region, Russia, 440039.
Kulkov Mikhail: Kulkov Mikhail Alekseevich, born in 1994, PKU SIZO-1, ul. Karakozov, 30, Penza, Penza region, Russia, 440039.
Maksim Ivankin: Ivankin Maksim Sergeevich, born in 1994, PKU SIZO-1, ul. Karakozov, 30, Penza, Penza region, Russia, 440039.

Help to anarchist prisoners of the “Network” case in St. Petersburg:

Alfa-bank. Card number: 5486 7320 1178 7959
Yandex money ABC-Petersburg – 41001160378989
PayPal abc-msk@riseup.net
Bitcoin 1EKGZT2iMjNKHz8oVt7svXpUdcPAXkRBAH
Litecoin LNZK1uyER7Kz9nmiL6mbm9AzDM5Z6CNxVu
Etherium 0x1deb54058a69fcc443db2bf9562df61f974b16f7
Monero 4BrL51JCc9NGQ71kWhnYoDRffsDZy7m1HUU7MRU4nUMXAHNFBEJhkTZV9HdaL4gfuNBxLPc3BeMkLGaPb
F5vWtANQn4wNWChXhQ8vao8MA
Zcash t1dX9Rpupi77erqEbdef3T353pvfTp9SAt1
Bitcoin cash qz7mf06xqdmryzgz4zpex0m8qzpmf9vvpgagyp7xw0

3. Repression against anarchists in Chelyabinsk.
In February 2018, repressions against anarchists suspected of having links with Narodnaya Samooborona (People’s Self-Defense) began in Chelyabinsk.
Anarchists Dmitry Tsibukovsky, Dmitry Semenov, Anastasia Safonova and Maxim Anfalov, Semenov’s cousin, were detained in Chelyabinsk. Tsibukovsky and Anfalov were tortured with electricity all night, they demanded that they testify about the involvement of the detainees in the anarchist action, during which the banner “FSB is the main terrorist” was hung on the fence of the FSB office, and a smoke bomb was thrownd on its territory. They also demanded that the detainees report on links with “Narodnaya Samooborona”, which is indicated in the case file as “an extremist organization of anarchist persuasion”. At the end of the year another criminal case was opened against them – for graffiti against pension reform.

https://zona.media/article/2018/02/27/main-terrorist
https://zona.media/article/2018/06/01/chelyabinsk-otkaznoye

4. Repressions against Moscow anarchists in February and March 2018.
In January 2018, a group of anarchists held an action against the office of the ruling “Yedinaya Rossiya” (“United Russia”) party in Moscow. A window to the office was broken, and a smoke bomb was thrown inside.
This case was used against the anarchist movement in Moscow. Although the action was a reason for arrests, the detentions began after an anarchist unsanctioned march on Myasnitskaya Street in the centre of Moscow. The illegal march behind the windows of the FSB main office, directed against torture and repression in the “Network” case, caused a great resonance in the society, and a few days after it arrests of Moscow anarchists began. Although the detainees were accused of crashing the office of “Yedinaya Rossiya”, they were asked questions about the action on Myasnitskaya Street, as well as about the Narodnaya Samooborona anarchist movement.

On February 13, anarchists Elena Gorban and Alexei Kobaidze, suspected of participating in the action against the office of “Yedinaya Rossiya”, were detained in Moscow. Both received charges of vandalism, pleaded guilty and testified.
In early March, just before the presidential election, President Vladimir Putin instructed the security forces to “identify and punish the organizers of unauthorized actions.” After that, repressions against a number of opposition movements took place in Moscow. On March 14, in the morning, searches took place in the apartments of Moscow anarchists. The apartment of one of the anarchists, Svyatoslav Rechkalov, was stormed by special forces and operatives of the “E” center. Formally, Svyatoslav was accused of placing a pogrom video of anarchists near the “Yedinaya Rossiya” office on the resources of Narodnaya Samooborona. The operatives accused Svyatoslav of being the “anarchist leader” and organizing the actions and campaigns of anarchists in Moscow and other cities. After that, Svyatoslav was subjected to torture, during which he was demanded to incriminate himself, call himself an anarchist leader, and confess to organizing anarchist activities. Svyatoslav was placed in a minivan, in which he was driven around the city with his hands shackled behind his back, a bag on his head, and tortured with electro shock. After his release, Svyatoslav fled to France, where he continued to receive threats from the FSB.
Svyatoslav’s story about torture – https://ovdinfo.org/stories/2018/04/02/imena-prihodilos-vydumyvat-na-hodurasskaz-o-pytkah-po-delu-o-razbitom-okne-er

Another anarchist detained on March 14, Andrei Eikin, was also accused of attacking the “Yedinaya Rossiya” office.

After all, the police continued repressions against “Narodnaya Samooborona”. In the summer of 2018, the police detained activists several times, asking them about this movement.July 2018. Six anarchists and social activists were detained in Moscow. The detainees were threatened with physical influence and were asked about the “Narodnaya Samooborona” movement. Soon threats to another anarchist, Azat Miftakhov, appeared on police telegram channels.
https://t.me/operdrain/17822https://ovdinfo.org/express-news/2018/07/24/v-moskve-zaderzhivali-socialnyh-aktivistov-iz-belorussii
August 2018. In the Moscow region, the police covers the “Icebreaker” punk festival. Detainees were asked about the “Narodnaya Samooborona” movement.
https://ovdinfo.org/stories/2018/08/24/kak-policeyskie-sryvali-festival-ledokol-i-pytalis-verbovat-rasskaz-zaderzhannoy

5. Mikhail Zhlobitsky and the case on the ”justification of terrorism”.

On October 31, 2018, the 17-year-old Arkhangelsk anarchist Mikhail Zhlobitsky from Arkhangelsk committed suicide bombing in the FSB building of the city of Arkhangelsk. As a result, three FSB officers were injured. Before the attack, Mikhail warned about an imminent explosion in anarchist chat related to People’s Self-Defense. After that, the police and the FSB started mass interrogations of people who followed People’s Self-Defense social media resources (at that time, almost 27 thousand people). These interrogations took place thought the whole country. The police and the FSB searched the followers and arrange preventative conversations with them about their relationship to anarchism and to “People’s Self-Defense”. Followers also receive notifications from the prosecutor’s office with caution against “destructive ideologies of anarchism and violence.”
https://www.yuga.ru/news/436181/https://ovdinfo.org/express-news/2018/12/17/v-saratove-anarhista-vyzyvali-na-povtornuyu-besedu-v-upravlenie-fsbhttps://ovdinfo.org/articles/2018/11/13/eho-vzryva-kak-pravoohranitelnye-organy-ishchut-soobshchnikov-arhangelskogohttps://ovdinfo.org/express-news/2018/12/11/materi-anarhista-iz-kirovskoy-oblasti-zvonili-iz-policii-predstavivshishttps://ovdinfo.org/express-news/2018/12/08/v-novokuznecke-policiya-prishla-k-anarhistu-chtoby-pochitat-ego-telegram-ihttps://ovdinfo.org/express-news/2018/11/14/v-samare-policiya-prihodila-domoy-k-anarhistu-i-sprashivala-o-telegram

November 2018. A local anarchist and defender animals Vyacheslav Lukichev is detained in Kaliningrad. For 36 hours, he was deprived of sleeping and food, and was tortured. He is required to confess the administrating of the Prometheus telegram channel, close to “Narodnaya Samooborona”, and publishing a post in support of Mikhail Zhlobitsky (17-year-old anarchist who detonated a bomb in the FSB building in Arkhangelsk). Together with Lukichev were detained two his friends. Lukichev agrees to testify against himself, in exchange for the release of his friends. For publishing a post on the Internet, Lukichev was threatened with up to seven years in prison, but in March 2019 he was released by a court decision with a fine of 300 thousand rubles. Earlier, Lukichev was declared by the Security Service of Ukraine on the international wanted list via Interpol, on suspicion of an attack in May 2018 in Kiev on the active Ukrainian neo-Nazi Dmitry Verbich.
https://memohrc.org/ru/monitorings/antifa-ekozashchitnik-anarhist-chto-izvestno-ob-obvinyaemom-v-opravdanii-terakta

Requisites of assistance to Vyacheslav Lukichev to pay a fine:
Bitcoin wallet:1MyVRsteSF93eP2c6RWGyuNY4aCq4jfnz8
Paypal: shaminoid@icloud.com
Sberbank card:5469 4000 2448 0555 (Evgenia Alekseevna)

At the same time, the FSB captures the Prometheus anarchist telegram channel. A picture of the tortured Lukichev and threats and insults to other anarchists, “Lukichev’s friends” appear in it. There are also threats and insults to Svyatoslav Rechkalov, who had been subjected to torture and who had fled to France and former Belarusian political prisoner anarchist Alexander Frantskevich.

In March 2019, two more criminal cases were initiated under the “justifying terrorism” article for comments on the Internet in support of Mikhail Zhlobitsky. About one of them, excited in Izhevsk, almost no any information. In another case, the 27-year-old anarchist from Karelia Katerina Muranova is accused.
Ekaterina Muranova is an anarchist from Karelia, accused of “justifying terrorism” for the comment, in which she called Mikhail Zhlobitsky a hero. For this comment, she now faces up to seven years in prison. She does not have the opportunity to hire a lawyer on her own – Katerina has a sick child, and the family has only some money for his treatment. If the court sentenced her to imprisonment, her life could be broken by the repressive system, and the sick child could lose his mother.You can transfer money to help Ekaterina using the following requisites:

5469 2500 1148 8966Ekaterina Vyacheslavovna
Bitcoin wallet 17JmKAE7zMSuUSAnCeqV3jscSa5nrm5sqMPaypal
https://www.paypal.me/katyaMyranova

6. Case of the Kirill Kuzminkin.
During the mass anarchist checks, in Moscow was arrested 14 years old anarchist Kirill Kuzminkin which was prosecuted in connection with Mikhail Zhlobickiy and preparing bomb attack at neo-nazis march. The reason was a jar of saltpeter, found at Kirill’s house. Kyril himself denies the charges.
https://graniru.org/Politics/Russia/Politzeki/m.273660.html
Address for letters: 125130, Moscow, Vyborgskaya street, 20, PKU prison 5, Kuzminkin Kirill Igorevich, born in 2004

7.Case of Azat Miftakhov.
January of 2019. In police’s telegram channels appears threats in adress of anarchist Azat Miftahov. And also appears a fake message about his arrest. In hostel of Moscow State University, where Azat lives was a searching while he was not at home. Azat Miftakhov is a graduate student of Moscow State University, young math-scientist, whos articles are posting in scientific magasines.
https://zona.media/news/2019/01/19/mitfahov
February 2019. In Moscow FSB and a special forces made massive searchings and arests of the anarchists. Searchings were also in the appartments of common Muscovites, which anarchists are defending from the bandits and flat raides. In the result of searchings were arrested not less than 11 people. Federal TV channels reported about arrest of anarchist terrorists from the movement “Narodnaya Samooborona”. One of the arrested people is Azat Miftakhov who, under tortures, was required to incriminate himself and declare that he made explosives. To make him say that, police beated him and tortured with a screwdriver, but he refused to testify it. Another arrested Daniil Galkin was tortured by electricity. He was required to testify against Azat and to cooperate with special services against anarchists, antifascists, antiraiders movement, and give compromising anarchist interview to the “Perviy kanal”(federal TV channel).
In the evening all arrested people except Azat were released. Police didn’t let lawyer to see Azat and kidnaped him passing by his lawyer. Next 2 days noone can find Miftakhov. The investigators denied to give any information about his location. Finally the 2 of February he was found in prison of city Balashiha. First the police wanted to accuse him in making an explosive device, but after they didn’t find any proofs, he was released and arrested again this day because of attacking office of “Edinaya Rossiya”(the ruling party) in 30 of January 2018 and they found a “secret witnes” in mask, which said that he saw this attack and after 1 year he recognized Miftakhov by “expressive eyebrows”. The man said, that he didn’t call all the year the police because his telephone was discharged. But when he saw the news about arrest of Miftahov he recognized him as an attacker by eyebrows and told to the police about it.
Also the police from center “E” provided a reverence, where they say, that Miftahov is a member of anarchist organization “Narodnaya Samooborona” from 2014 which is according to the security forces commiting crimes in the whole of Russia and the city of Paris. But again there were not provided any proofs of membering Azat in this organization. 12 of February on trial the police provided the ticket to Belarus that was bought on the name of Miftakhov. That was a proof that if Azat would be realesed he would try to escape from his country. But this ticket was bought 11 of February when Azat was in prison and couldn’t buy it. Who bought this ticket and how the police got it remains unknown. But we can assume that it made policemen. Those ticket was enough to keep Azat in jail.
https://freeazat.org/o-dele/

You can write a letter to Azat with this adress: 127055, city Moscow, Novoslobodskaya street, bld. 45, FKU SIZO-2, to Miftahov Azat Fanisovich, 1993 year of born.

Requisites for financial assistance:
Sberbank card Mastercard 5469 3800 5929 3380 Gorban Elena Anatolyevna
Requisites for ruble transfers:
Recipient Gorban Elena Anatolyevna
Beneficiary account 40817810238068074965
Recipient Bank Moscow Bank of Sberbank of Russia Moscow
Correspondent account 30101810400000000225
TIN of the bank 7707083893
BIC of the Bank 044525225
Branch code of the bank 38903807780
The address of the bank division is Moscow, Dnepropetrovskaya, 3 bld. 5A

Requisites for currency transfers:
Recipient Gorban Elena Anatolevna
Beneficiary account 40817810238068074965
Bank name and address sberbank (head office – moscow russian federation)
SWIFT code SABRRUMM
Subdivision code of the bank 38903807780
PayPal freeazat@riseup.net
Yandex.Money 410018826688898
Bitcoin 18QSya6vR9d1mvwzAteJ5otPVr6NEiTT4g


8. The case of Ilya Romanov.
Ilya Romanov has been involved in the anarchist movement since the 80s of the last century – since the time of the USSR. In the 80s he organized an anarchist club in his city, published a self-made newspaper. For the production of dissident leaflets and actions against the authorities, he was first expelled from school, then from the institute. After the fall of the Soviet regime continued to fight in Moscow – read lectures, participated in the activities of the eco-anarchist movement “Guardians of the Rainbow”, in October 1993, under the walls of the White House, which was shot from tanks, he pulled out the wounded people. In the late 1990s, he was arrested on suspicion of involvement to the activities of the “New Revolutionary Alternative” – a left underground group that was accused of explosions and mining of military offices, monuments to Nicholai II, the main military prosecutor’s office and the reception of the FSB. Romanov spent three years in the Butyrka prison, but evidence of his participation in the activity were not found, as a result he was released. Nevertheless, the constant attention from the special services forces him to go to Ukraine, where he also took part in protests against the Kuchma regime. Soon he was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine on charges of undermining an explosive device near the headquarters of the SBU. The next 10 years, Ilya spent in the dungeons of the regime (more precisely, successive regimes, none of which have released prisoners which were left-wing activists) and was released at the end of 2012.
After his release, Ilya leaves for his homeland, where repressions against all concerned citizens begin. Less than a year after his release, Ilya is detained by the FSB on charges of terrorism and publicly justifying terrorist activities. The reason was … an unsuccessful explosion of a firecracker, as a result of which Romanov suffered. The FSB was quick to declare that Romanov was blown up on his own explosive device. As a result, Ilya, who had spent almost all the time in prison since the late nineties, was sentenced to a new term of nine years imprisonment on charges of terrorism for the explosion of a firecracker.
In the colony a new case was opened on Romanov for “appeals to terrorism”. The staff of the colony seized the phone on which they logged in from the account of Romanov in social networks, and reposted a record with the “justification of terrorism.” This was done, presumably, in retaliation for the Romanov’s public criticism of the rules established in the colony in the media. In this case, the court also condemned Romanov, if to summarize the sentences he will be released only in the autumn of 2025.
Address for letters: Ilya Eduardovich Romanov, year of birth 1967, 443022, Russian Federation, Samara, Sadoviy proezd, 22, SIZO-1.


9. Repressions against the Irkutsk anarchists.
In April 2017, the special forces and the E center raided against local anarchists in Irkutsk. Initially, nine people were detained. One of them, Dmitry Litvin, was accused of “insulting the feelings of believers” for publishing a photo on a social network, in which his middle finger was photographed with the church on the background. This was a sufficient reason for mass searches started by special forces. Then the case of Lytvyn was transferred to the court.

Folkets Självförsvar / People’s Self-Defense / Narodnaya Samooborona

Länk: https://naroborona.info/2019/04/06/repressions-against-russian-anarchists/