Russia – Dark Nights

Russian Authorities Consider Any Anarchist Black Cross Groups an “Undesirable Organization”

Posted on 2025/08/23 - 2025/08/23 by darknights

At the beginning of 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice added the American Anarchist Black Cross Federation to its list of “undesirable organizations.” At that time, Anarchist Black Cross Moscow (ABC Moscow) publicly stated that it had no organizational ties to the American federation: ABC groups worldwide are autonomous, and Russian groups have never been part of the American federation.

However, in 2025, it became clear that the Russian authorities consider not only the American federation to be “undesirable” — they are targeting all ABC groups.

The Pretext: A Book by Belarusian Anarchist Igor Olinevich

In December 2024, the book “I’m Going to Magadan” by Belarusian anarchist Igor Olinevich was purchased in sting operations at the “Falanster” bookstore in Moscow and “Podpisnye Izdaniya” in St. Petersburg. In the spring of 2025, both stores were prosecuted (source) under the article about participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization.” The basis for the charges? A postscript in the book, signed by the ABC-Belarus collective.

The book itself was published by the Russian cooperative Radical Theory and Practice, which has no affiliation with the American ABC federation — but that didn’t matter to the authorities.

What Does This Mean in Practice?

As of 2025, even reposting, donating to, or publishing content featuring ABC symbols or affiliations can be grounds for prosecution in Russia.

This can lead to both administrative and criminal charges, including:

Misdemeanor: Participation in the activity of an “undesirable organization” (under administrative law).
Felony (under criminal law):
- Up to 4 years in prison for participating,
- Up to 5 years for financing,
- Up to 6 years for organizing such activities.

Actions that can lead to persecution in Russia:

– Participating in ABC group activities
– Reposting or publicly mentioning ABC
– Sending donations to ABC
– Distributing publications associated with ABC (including Olinevich’s book)

Even historical continuity from anarchists in the Russian Empire is now a reason for persecution. The Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) was founded in Russia in 1906, originally as the Anarchist Red Cross, later renamed. Since then, anarchists have supported political prisoners — and they will continue to do so, regardless of repression.

ABC Moscow Today

All members of ABC-Moscow have left the territory of the Russian Federation. We continue to assist those whom the Russian authorities persecute for their anarchist and anti-fascist beliefs: with evacuation, adaptation to life abroad, legal, and material support.

Support Our Work (If You Are Outside Russia):

PayPal: abc-msk@riseup.net

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Bitcoin: bc1qhu02jedtulqw5tw8nnktf6d0ujn8dyx3gk556e
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Zcash: t1RFKaTs4yvU7PeTKeEBJwh3YrcE8mN33up

Contact Us: abc-msk@riseup.net
Solidarity is our weapon!

Source: Avtonom

Russia: Radical resistance 01.03 – 14.03.2025

Posted on 2025/04/07 - 2025/04/07 by darknights

Moscow

Russian pro-government media reported that on the evening of March 6, 17-year-old student Nikita P. approached the FSB building on Lubyanka Street in Moscow, splashed a flammable liquid from a plastic bottle on the office door and set fire to the doused door. The guy was detained. During interrogation he admitted that he “committed arson according to the instructions that he had previously received from fraudsters. If everything is really so, the task of such “fraudsters” is obviously to discredit the real guerrilla attacks, which continue despite everything. After all, even in the case of cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, the task of dismantling the Russian totalitarian regime remains relevant.

Kazan

On 7 March, the car of a military commissariat employee was burnt down in Kazan. A partisan set fire to the car registered to the military commissariat of the Republic of Tatarstan. According to the preliminary version of the law enforcers, it was doused with incendiary mixture by an unknown man. The car burst into flames at around four in the morning near the houses near Rotornaya and Botanicheskaya streets.

Tula

On 8 March in Tula, partisans burned cars belonging to employees of the SPLAV Research and Production Association.

NPO SPLAV is a military industry enterprise, a manufacturer of Grad, Smerch and Uragan multiple rocket launchers.

Tver region

On March 12, the Osvoboditel guerrilla movement announced the destruction of the S-300 air defense system in the Tver region. According to a video shot by the guerrillas, it can be determined that the system’s command center with radar, the cost of which is estimated at 160 million dollars, was damaged. The S-300 complex consists of three main elements: a radar for detecting targets at low altitudes, a control system with illumination and guidance radar, and launchers. The eliminated control system is a key component, without which the complex loses combat capability until new hardware arrives. According to the guerrillas, the destruction occurred at minimal cost: the operation required only five liters of gasoline worth several hundred rubles. At the same time, the price of the equipment taken out of service is estimated at 160 million dollars.

Source: a2day

Russia: Radical resistance 11.01-29.01.2005

Posted on 2025/02/12 by darknights

Saratov

On 11 January, a 16-year-old teenager was detained in Saratov for preparing the murder of Saratov regional Duma deputy Alexander Yanklovich. According to the investigation, the suspect was going to kill the deputy on the instructions of ‘unidentified persons’. He came with a hammer to the deputy’s house, but did not find him at home. The teenager was allegedly going to ‘continue his actions after receiving information about the man’s whereabouts’, but was detained on 11 January.

Yanklovitch is the head of the Saratov Regional Duma’s Veterans Affairs Committee, a Hero of Russia and a veteran of combat operations in the North Caucasus. He also headed the Saratov regional public organisation Saratov Association of Heroes, which accepted donations for the needs of participants in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In September 2023, Yanklovitch left to fight in Ukraine as part of the Rosgvardiya, but a year later he cancelled his contract due to age.

tg-channel No future notes that the arrested teenager may turn out to be a bonhead from the Yubileyny neighbourhood. A local left-wing football fan identified him in a photo.

The servant of the people Alexander Yanklovych, who escaped death, naturally stated that the assassination attempt was supervised by the special services of Ukraine. He himself and his family were in the temple, that’s why he was saved, the MP claims.

If the detainee shared right-wing ideas as a child and really acted on someone’s orders (which we do not know), then the target of the attack was certainly chosen worthy. The enemies of the Russian people are not representatives of other peoples or migrants, but ‘native’ Russian authorities.

We wish the guy resilience and development of critical thinking.

Moscow

A UAZ Patriot military vehicle with Ministry of Defence plates was burnt down in New Moscow on 17 January. The car was burnt in a car park in the settlement of Desyonovskoye. UAZ ‘Patriot’ with military black and white numbers was standing in the car park near the house. At some point the car caught fire. There were no people in the car,’ eyewitnesses wrote.

Kazan

At about 16.00 Moscow time on 23 January an unknown person threw a Molotov cocktail into the foyer of the main entrance of the administrative building of the Kazan Gunpowder Plant (FKP ‘KGKPZ’) at 14 May 1 Street in Kazan, Tatarstan. This started a fire, which was extinguished by employees of the plant. The Interior Ministry said it had not found or identified the arsonist. The CCTV cameras show a lad of about fifteen years old with his face covered.

It is known that between 2023 and 2024 the plant has increased capacity to produce explosives for Russia’s military-industrial complex.

Source: a2day

Czech Republic: ‘I will not be intimidated’ – Lukáš Borl

Posted on 2025/02/12 by darknights

In the past, I have published an extensive analysis of how specific individuals and groups try to isolate me, attack my private life, they’re threatening my safety and sabotage the Anti-militarist activities I engage in. One of the examples given was a description of how a member of the Trhlina infoshop told a friend of mine that I was at risk of a strong reaction from militant anti-fascists. In other words, the person from Trhlina was threatening me. At that time it was not yet clear whether the threat would come true. Now it is clear. On Saturday, February 8, 2025, I was physically attacked by one such militant anti-fascist in Prague’s Club 007.

What happened?

The attacker waited until most of my friends had left the club, followed me into the toilets, where he punched me several times in the face. No, I’m not surprised he chose such an insidious method. I’ve seen so much scheming from his cronies that I expect nothing but meanness, unscrupulousness and hypocrisy from them now.

Before “Mr. Hero” physically attacked, he also tried to “explain” to me in a few words that I should not oppose the defense of Ukraine. He did not give me any chance to express my arguments as to why I do not support the defence of Ukraine or the defence of Russia, the defence of the Czech Republic or the defence of any other state. I am an anarchist, therefore I fight against all states. Against fascist states, as well as democratic, stalinist, monarchist…
Instead of defending Ukraine – that is, a particular state and its regime – I prefer to support and defend the working class living on Ukrainian territory, because on the one hand it is now being massacred by Putin’s invasion, on the other hand it is being subjected to persecution and repression by the Ukrainian government, as well as to severe exploitation by Ukrainian capitalists.

I think explaining something like that to the person who attacked me would be pointless anyway. I doubt he would understand the basic gist of it. It wasn’t the first time he’s shown me that he has a strong penchant for harsh macho posturing but lacks serious political analysis.

I can’t keep quiet

I think it’s important to talk openly about this incident in public. It is a concrete example of the hypocrisy of those who spread statements on the Internet in which they style themselves as innocent victims who are being harmed, while in reality they are inciting and supporting aggression against opponents from the anarchist milieu.

I won’t hide the fact that I was shaken by this incident. I really felt a lot of frustration, anger and a sense of helplessness. But I soon processed these strong emotions. Thanks, among other things, to the people who stood up for me, gave me the emotional support I needed and reassurance that I was not alone in this.

Even though I know there are legitimate reasons to use violence against some people, I don’t feel like retaliating right now. It’s just that, just as a cornered animal can bite hard to get out of danger, I suppose I might act the same way in a similar situation. I’m not a pacifist , and I know there are times when one’s bare hands are not enough to defend oneself. Anyone who attempts to attack me and/or my friends again in the future should be aware of this.

My black eye and the pain in my face will certainly fade with time, but my willingness to support anti-war activities will remain. I’m sure of it. Whoever attacked me may not realize it, which is why it’s important for him and his macho crew to read this: I will not be intimidated! What happened that night only makes me want to continue on the path I’ve set out on.

For those who also want to follow this path, I would like to recommend supporting the fundraising for deserters and war refugees organized by the Anti-Militarist Initiative (AMI).

I also recommend getting the publication Voices from Ukraine. In these publications, the anarchist collective Assemble from Kharkiv illustrates the positions of revolutionaries living in a place where war is raging.

Russia, Ukraine: Radical resistance 28.10 – 17.11.2024

Posted on 2024/11/27 - 2024/11/27 by darknights

Above: Train in Bashkiria

Moscow region

Partisans destroyed relay cabinets in Balashikha, Moscow region. According to Russian Railways, the arson attack occurred at 5.30 am on November 1 at the Lyubertsy-Perovo-1 crossing of the Kazan direction. Due to the attack, trains of the Kazan direction in both directions were delayed.

Bashkiria

In Bashkiria on November 3, a train with coal was blown up at night. On one of the cars partisans fastened an IED. The explosion occurred at the crossing Post 28 km – Post 21 km, near Ufa. As a result, most of the train overturned, not just derailed. A total of 22 cars are reported. Contact pylons and railroad tracks were also damaged.

Two days later, 31-year-old Ivan I, a resident of Stavropol Krai, was detained as a suspect.

Krasnogorovka (Ukraine)

In Ukraine on November 6, Pavel Klymenko, a butcher general, was liquidated. He commanded the 5th Brigade and was famous for his fierce cruelty to his fighters. Endless and very large-scale even by the standards of the Russian army butcher assaults, executions for refusing to go on these assaults, sending soldiers “to the basement”, extortion of money, beatings, torture. It was announced that Klimenko was killed in an FPV drone attack. According to the Rospartizan tg-channel, the FPV drone was fired by Russian side – when Klimenko was riding his motorcycle around occupied Krasnogorovka.

Soldier’s justice is an effective measure against beasts with general’s epaulettes.

Sevastopol

In Sevastopol on November 13, Captain First Rank Valery Taranovsky, chief of staff of the 41st brigade of missile ships and boats of the Black Sea Fleet, was blown up in his car.

The explosion occurred yesterday at 9 am. According to preliminary data, the attackers fastened an improvised explosive device (IED) on the bottom of the car on the driver’s side and detonated it remotely. In its turn, the Ukrainian media say that this was a special operation by the SBU.

Source: a2day

Russia & Ukraine: Radical Resitance 07/10 – 27/10

Posted on 2024/11/13 - 2024/11/13 by darknights

15.10-27.10.24

Moscow region

On October 16, a car belonging to Nikita Klenkov, who had returned from the war in Ukraine a week earlier, was shot at point-blank range in the village of Melenki. The military man died.

Klenkov served in the military unit 43292 – this is the Special Operations Forces Training Center. The leaked geolocation data also revealed that Klenkov ordered food deliveries to the GRU headquarters.

The vigilante waited for the colonel at the entrance to the village of Melenki. He opened fire with a 9 millimeter caliber pistol as soon as he saw the officer’s car, managed to fire at least eight shots, and then fled.

Bryansk Region

On October 22, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported the murder of Dmitry Golenkov, a pilot of the 52nd heavy bomber aviation regiment of the Russian Air Force. According to Ukrainian intelligence, he was responsible for missile strikes on a shopping center in Kremenchug and a multi-story apartment building in Dnipro in January 2023, which killed 68 civilians.

Intelligence sources said the body of a military officer was found “with multiple head injuries, caused probably by a hammer” on October 20 in the village of Suponevo in the Bryansk region.

Pro-government channels also confirmed Golenkov’s death.

Perm

Late in the evening of October 23, two women threw Molotov cocktails at the United Russia office building in Perm. A fire started. Unfortunately, the arsonists were detained, they turned out to be local residents mother and daughter Natalia and Ekaterina Degtyannikov, born in 1970 and 2004. They came with seven bottles of “Molotov cocktail” and a cylinder – a gas burner to the building of the office of “United Russia” on Plekhanova Street, 12. The daughter started breaking windows, the mother lit the bottles and threw them. They managed to do this twice, after which the older woman’s jacket sleeve caught fire. Then the women, disregarding the shouts of the witnesses, ran away from the building towards the streetcar tracks. The guerrillas were detained the next day. Continue reading “Russia & Ukraine: Radical Resitance 07/10 – 27/10” →

News about some imprisoned comrades in Russia and Belarus. October 2024

Posted on 2024/11/13 by darknights

Drawing by the imprisoned anarchist Sergey Romanov

November 3, 2024

Anarchist Alexei Rozhkov is being charged under the article “terrorist act” for the arson of a military enlistment office in Berezovsky in March 2022, as well as for “justifying terrorism” and “spreading fakes” about the Russian army due to an interview he gave to “Khodorkovsky Live” while in Kyrgyzstan. At the end of May 2023, Rozhkov was illegally transported out of Kyrgyzstan, where he had previously fled, fearing the intensification of the charges. In total, Alexey could face up to 22.5 years of imprisonment.

At one of the court hearings, Lyudmila Reutova, a Russian language and literature teacher and the mother of Alexei’s classmate with whom he had previously lived for six months, testified. The brave woman did not hesitate to say that she knows Alexei as an intelligent, creative, and well-read young man, and also emphasized that he is an empathetic and kind person.

There is much to say about Alexei, but only good things <…> It pains me greatly to see Alexei in the dock. I consider Alexey my son. I am proud that fate brought me together with such a person. He is probably one of the best people I have ever met in my life.” Reutova does not consider Alexei to be a terrorist; she calls him a patriot: “Terrorism is when a plane flies into the Twin Towers and hundreds, thousands of people die. Terrorism is when people come to a concert, and they get shot in the chest. Terrorism is when a mother, with a child in her arms, brought her second child to the first grade, and everyone dies. But Alexey is not a terrorist. Alexei is not an enemy of our country. Alexei is not an enemy of our people <…> Patriotism is not just love for your land, not just for the territory where you live, for the place where you were born, it is love for your people. It is the readiness to sacrifice oneself, to give one’s life for the betterment of the people, for the freedom of the people. And in this regard, I believe that Alexei… he can be called a patriot.

The next court hearing in Alexei’s case is scheduled for November 20.

An 18-year-old antifascist, Yuri Mikheev, faces up to 10 years in prison. A year ago, on November 11, 2023, he and a friend were detained on the territory of a military unit in the Moscow region. The FSB accused the young men of planning to set military equipment on fire. The young men were charged under articles on “preparation for sabotage.” On October 9, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow extended the detention of Yury Mikheyev and 20-year-old brothers Matvey and Timofey Melnikov in a pre-trial detention center for 1 month. At the hearing, it became known that a new case had been opened against the Melnikov brothers for “treason” (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and participation in a “terrorist organization” (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This is likely related to the fact that they confessed to carrying out a mission for the Free Russia Legion. The charge against Yuri Mikheev has not changed – “preparation for sabotage.” Continue reading “News about some imprisoned comrades in Russia and Belarus. October 2024” →

Russia: Prisons must be destroyed

Posted on 2024/11/13 - 2024/11/13 by darknights

We defend political prisoners, but as long as prisons exist, as long as they torture and kill the most ordinary prisoners, including people who are not the most pleasant, as long as criminal cases are fabricated for the sake of “sticks” and “stars,” no one can consider themselves free.

Information about what happens behind barbed wire is rarely and belatedly received. The Verstka Telegram channel recently published information about the victims of police lawlessness in 2023. This year, at least 50 people have died in pre-trial detention centers, special reception centers, police departments, during arrests, and in police cars. These data were obtained through a thorough analysis of reports from government agencies and the media, and, of course, they are not complete.

The highest number of deaths occurred in pre-trial detention centers (SIZO) – 22 people died there over the year, 14 in police departments, five during detention, four in police cars, two in special detention facilities, and one each in court, a FSIN prisoner transport vehicle, and a hospital after being transported from SIZO.

Among the dead were 48 men and two women. The cause of death for 11 people was allegedly heart problems, another 11, according to official data, committed suicide, and nine died after they “suddenly felt bad.”

At least two people died after being tortured by police officers, one detainee in a pre-trial detention center died from a drug overdose, chronic illness, and deliberate failure to provide medical assistance, and one was killed by cellmates. The causes of death for another 13 people are unknown. Continue reading “Russia: Prisons must be destroyed” →

Back in print!: With blood and words – Evegeniia Iaroslavskaia-Markon

Posted on 2024/06/11 by darknights

“So, that is my life – the life of a schoolgirl-revolutionary, a student-dreamer, a friend and lover of the great man and poet Aleksandr Iaroslavskii, an eternal wanderer, an itinerant anti-religious lecturer, a writer for Rul, a street newspaper vendor, a thief with a long criminal record, and a traveling fortune-teller.” (from My Autobiography, E. Iaroslavskaia-Markon)

The manuscript, completed on February 3, 1931, anticipated by a few months the execution of the authour at the age of twenty-nine, which took place in the courtyard of the isolation block in the gulag of the Solovki Islands. The manuscript – thirty-nine pages written in dense, tight handwriting – was discovered in 1996 in the archives of the FSB headquarters of the Arkhangelsk region. In her autobiography, Evgeniia talks about herself, her life, her comrade and companion Aleksandr Iaroslavskii and their commitment in fighting ’til their last breath against the tyranny of the Bolshevik power.

Evegeniia Iaroslavskaia-Markon, Aleksandr Iaroslavskii

133 pages / 6 euros

Printed Spring 2024

available through: rupture.noblogs.org

Sweep out snitches and their accomplices!

Posted on 2024/05/07 by darknights

[ – English – ] [ – Česky – ] [ – Français – ]

In 2022, the section of the International Workers Association in the region of Russia called for a boycott of the provocateurs, Anatoly Dubovik and Alexander Kolchenko. The statement said:

“The latter means that these fake anarchists, by publishing the addresses of anti-war activists located in Russia, are directly inciting Russian secret services and nationalist thugs against them, as opponents of the war, in order to deal with them with their hands! In the conditions of ongoing harassment, dismissals, threats and physical repression against anti-military-minded people in Russia, such actions are tantamount to real denunciation with a direct indication of whom the repressive forces should turn their attention to.”

It is now necessary to reiterate this issue. The snitches Kolchenko and Dubovik continue to be given space while their intrigues are concealed or downplayed. Both continue to organize support for the Ukrainian State in the name of anarchism, and others provide media space for their war propaganda. Specifically, these include Ondrej Slačálek (1) in the academic journal Kontradikce, the Anarchist Federation website, the Belarusian website pramen.io (2) and the Russian-language website avtonom.org. Kolchenko and Dubovik are denouncing our anarchist comrades in the region of Russia, therefore they deserve contempt. Slačálek, the editors of afed.cz and others who uncritically support the denunciators must all accept the consequences.

For those who are not yet familiar with the context, here are some important facts. Kolchenko and Dubovik made use of doxing, i.e. the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about anarchists who, in times of war, oppose a State that applies an aggressive war policy. Anarchists obviously oppose all States that engage in war. It must be taken into account that at the same time as the Russian State is invading Ukraine, it is also cracking down very harshly on any anti-militarist criticism and activity. Those who were relatively “safe” to declare their anti-militarist position in Russia before the outbreak of the war are now, for security reasons, expressing their position covertly. The risk for open anti-militarism is now too great, and people are ending up in jail for even just standing with an anti-war picket in a public place.

In wartime, Kolchenko and Dubovik broke the anonymity of the anarchists and deliberately used doxing as a means to expose them to harassment or legal sanctions by the State. After the information about the doxers’ activities was disseminated, they attempted to deny everything. The article “Lies are being spread about Ukrainian anarchist Anatoli Dubovik” was precisely intended to do that. However, shortly after its publication, evidence was presented. It turned out that there was an attempt on the part of the denunciators to cover their tracks by falsifying the content of the history of posts on the Facebook profile. The editors of Autonomous Action first retracted the article, and it was clear from a brief comment that the reason for the retraction was that the original text had proven the guilt of Dubovik and Kolchenko. Later, however, even this justification was replaced on the website by another. However, this is so vague that a person without knowledge of the context can hardly understand what actually happened. The original article is replaced by the following text:

“This blog has been retracted as it included erroneous results of an investigation due to technical issues with the Facebook. Eventually all the contents had to be removed because they could gain access to some personal information. Apologies to everyone involved.”

By the way, the context is well illustrated by the post in the discussion below this statement:

“You are lying. We can all see that the comment has indeed been edited as well check its edit history, where we easily see that Dubovik has indeed been doxing people.”

One thing is sure. Certain structures are consciously engaging in war, defending the Ukrainian State and reproducing NATO’s war propaganda. According to the logic of “those who are not with us are against us”, they are ready to jointly destroy their opponents in the anarchist milieu. These people are open to side with anyone who says the same things about the war as they do, even if it means siding with denunciators.

History is replete with examples of how revolutionaries deal with denunciators and their accomplices. Snitches must expect that there may be a strong response.

Anti-Militarist Initiative [ AMI ], April 2024

Notes:

(1) We mention Slačalek specifically because he was the one who pushed for the publication of the texts by Dubovik and Kolchenko in Kontradikce, despite the criticism of his colleagues. Although he claims that he did not know about the activities of the informers before, he continues to defend the provision of space for their voices. Among other things, he said: “(…) This enquiry is not a political act, but an attempt at a cognitive procedure of a professional journal, although certainly a journal with a certain profile. So, yes, under certain circumstances I can imagine that I would address people with an even more unacceptable profile to the enquiry of such a journal (…)”.

(2) Pramen.io, for example, published the following text, which quotes Dubovik as a relevant source without any critical reflection: Vadim Damier’s Myth of “Classical Anarchist Internationalism” https://pramen.io/ru/2023/08/otvet-na-tezisy-vadima-dame-o-vojne-mezhdu-ukrainoj-i-rf/ (published on 21/08/2023)