Key Developments
In general, far-right and nazi activity in Russia during December 2021 was small although it is considered to be a main far-right month in Russia
Egor Prosvirnin suicide
Prosvirnin died on 27 December after falling out the window of an apartment building near the “Armenia” store on Tversky Boulevard in Moscow. According to preliminary data, he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident. He was totally naked and there was a knife and a pepper spray near his body. According to preliminary data, the reason for the suicide was a family quarrel.
” White suit” suicide
The Nazi-skinhead and criminal recidivist Pavel Syrtsev, who administered the telegram channel “White suit”, shot and killed himself during an arrest in the Moscow district of Shchelkovo. A few days before that, Igor Mironov, another of the administrators of this branch of publicity groups, who had served eight years in prison for the murder of a Kirghiz citizen, shot himself in Vladivostok.
NS/WP returns
In December 2021 the group NS/WP, which specializes in murders and terrorist attacks, announced its “return” in Telegram. In May 2021, the Supreme Court declared NS/WP a terrorist organization and banned its activities in Russia.
Antivax campaign
Nationalists continued to develop anti QR codes and vaccination campaigns in Russia. On 12 December in Moscow there was a rally organized by “Labor Russia” and the Permanent meeting of national-patriotic forces of Russia (PDS NPSR) against the introduction of QR codes (supporters of PDS NPSR consider this measure unconstitutional, so they arranged the action exactly on the Constitution Day). Judging by the video, about 30 people gathered for the action.
On December 4 and 18 some supporters of the “Movement of nationalists” held pickets and agitated against the introduction of QR codes to public places. On December 12 a picket against the QR codes system organized by the founder of the movement “People’s will” Ivan Volkov also took place in Yekaterinburg. Several people from the Russian People’s Union (ROS) and the movement “Conservative Yekaterinburg” came to the action. “People’s meeting” against QR codes was also held in Voronezh. The gathering was initiated by a new organization – “Army of Fatherland Defenders”, created by Ivan Otrakovsky in late September.
M.K.U.
On 13 December FSB reported about the detention of 106 neo-Nazis from the group “Maniacs: the cult of murder” (M.K.U.) in 37 regions on suspicion of preparation of terrorist attacks and mass murders in Russia, and on 17 December it became known that the FSB detained yet another M.K.U. supporter, planning a violent action against a journalist in the Rostov region.
Legal cases
Two people were convicted under Article 282 of the Criminal Code (incitement of hatred): one for making unidentified xenophobic statements on the social network. Four people were convicted under Article 280 of the Criminal Code (public calls to extremist activities) for calling for attacks on law enforcement officers posted on social media. One person was convicted under Article 148 of the Criminal Code (insulting the religious feelings of believers) for making negative comments about “representatives of Islam.
Another convicted person was punished under Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code (denial of facts established by the verdict of the International Military Tribunal, approval of crimes established by the said verdict, committed in public) for drawing Nazi symbols and records praising Adolf Hitler on the pages of a library book, and for expressing approval of the SS activities, including during the occupation of Kalmykia during World War II by other prisoners.