Over the last six months special services are trying to destroy anarchist movement in Russia. They are using methods which are much more cruel in comparison with the “classic” repressions against the rioters in Russia. Kidnappings, torture, fabrications of criminal cases. The most notable is the case of “Network” organization, in the course of which the anarchists from Penza and St. petersburg are exposed to pressure, monstrous torture, baiting from the side of the official mass media and indictment in creation of the “terrorist community” because of playing airsoft in the forests. A lot of information is aiready published about this case.
But this case is far from the only. Repressions also touched Crimean anarchists. Alexander Kolchenko is an anarchist from Crimea which is staying in a jail for several years already. And the new repressions started in the March of 2018 – mass searches, arrests, torture for the crimean activists. The reason was communication in the social networks and giving notice to the authorities about holding a meeting. Now one of the crimean anarchists – Alexey Shestakovich – was forced to leave the country. Another – Evgeny Karakashev – is staying in the remand center.
Except of the attempt of creation the “terrorist community” and cleaning Crimean peninsula from the anarchists spesial services are trying to compose a wider anarchist criminal case, in course of which they could tie in not only airsoft players but also every anarchist activist. Now they are trying to portray not “terrorists”, but “extremists”. And the methods are the same. Anarchists from the different cities are tortured for giving readings about membering in “Narodnaja Samooborona” “extremist anarchist community”. And we can read with surprise in mass media about the valiant security officials from FSB and “E” center which report about detention of the “leader” and “members” of the “Narodnaja Samooborona”.
“Narodnaja Samooborona” is the most popular and fast-growing for the last years anarchist media platform. News about the events which are happening in the country, in the world and in the anarchist movement, analytical and historical articles and the articles with the attempts of a critical rethinking of the anarchist theory are published on it. Except this, a lot of reports from the anarchist actions from Russia and Belarus are published on the platform. Those reports are not sent from the one group or even a network of groups. Every active group of the anarchists can send the reports about their actions and the reports will be published. By the way, “Narodnaja Samooborona” closely interacts with “Narodnaja Samooborona (direct action)” project, the main goal of which is a struggle with unscrupulous employers and scammers, confrontation with bandits and apartment raiders.
A big growing of the anarchist activity was noticed for the last year. Anarchist campaigns were held regularly from the May 2017 till the May 2018 – in solidarity with political prisoners of anti-corruption protests, arested comrades after anti-G20 protests in Gamburg, anarchist political prisoners from the different countries. Also there were actions against money-lending firms, against “Platon” system, anti-fascist actions and memorial events dedicated to murdered antifascists, actions against increasing tariffs and against ruling party… Maximum activity was in February and March of 2018 when the campaigns against president elections and lots of protest actions against repressions of “Network” case were organized. Actions of different formats were held in dozens of russian cities. The most noticeable were such anarchist actions as unauthorized march through Myasnitskaya street against terror of FSB in Moscow and action near the local department of FSB in Chelyabinsk, when “FSB is the main terrorist”
banner was hanged and pyrotechnic smoke was thrown on the territory of the department. Except of the solidarity actions for the “Network” case repressed activists, a small attack of the “Union Russia”( russian ruling party) office by moscow anarchists had a special resonance.
All these actions attracted attention of special services, which tried to unite them as actions of “Narodnaya samooborona”. Earlier “Narodnaya samooborona” also was the object of a special attention of FSB and “E” center, which made raids on anarchist events and cowed the anarchists which could be connected with “Narodnaya samooborona”. Now the growing of anarchist activity called their worry for active actions against “NS”. In addition, in March of 2018, before the repressions against moscow anarchists have started, russian president Vladimir Putin ordered to special services to detect and punish the organizers of unauthorized actions.
In February several moscow anarchists were arrested as suspected in attack on the “Union Russia” office and also chelyabinsk anarchists which were blamed in attack on the FSB department. Chelyabinsk anarchists were tortured in the FSB department after being arrested. During all the night they were tortured by electric shock to confirm their participation in the action. Besides that the terrorists from FSB demanded them to say that the idea of the action had been found in the “Narodnaya samooborona” public group. And one of the arrested comrades – Dmitry Tsibukovsky – was assigned by FSB as a leader of the chelyabinsk branch of the “Narodnaya samooborona” extremist anarchist organization.
In March the repressions continued in Moscow.”E” center and SOBR ( Russian service of rapid force response) made searches and arrests in the houses of moscow anarchists before the president elections on the 14th of March. One of them – Svyatoslav Rechkalov – was tortured in the minivan of SOBR. He was demanded to confirm his participation and leadership in “NS”, organizing of anarchist actions and campaigns on the territory of the whole Russia. Agents of “E” center straight declared that the reason of the tortures is the growing anarchist activity, “anarchists rapidly started their actions everywhere”.
Obviously, special services are preparing to open a new big extremist criminal case against anarchists, they are trying to get by force from the anarchists from different cities the recognitions that all the anarchist actions in Russia for the last time were organized and coordinated by “NS” organization. This is not true. Media resource of “Narodnaya samooborona” first of all is a platform and every anarchist group can send their reports to it. It is obvious that the special services torture every arrested anarchist and demand him to confirm that the action was prepared and held by “NS” because they want to create a new extremist criminal case.
The reasons of such interest to us are clear. Attempts to clean the political sphere from dissidents in Russia are being made not for the first decade of years. For the last time special services paid their close attention to the anarchists. And, of course, they couldn’t miss the most popular anarchist media platform – especially at the moment of rising level of anarchist activity and the growing amount of published reports.
Attack on the “Narodnaja Samooborona” is an attempt to destroy anarchist infrastructure, disabling the most popular media platform which spreads the information about events of lots of separate groups.
Also it’s obvious that the repressions are the indicators of the effective anarchist activities in Russia. Why do the special services catch the next person which could be an anarchist and try to assign him as an “activist” or a “leader” of “Narodnaja Samooborona” and russian anarchism? This is so because the state is afraid of growing anarchist movement and activity. Every resultative activity, every rising movement will meet repressions and pressure from the state. We are calling to continue actions of solidarity with the russian anarchists and remember all the anarchists which were repressed. Resist repressions is possible only all together, and the struggle must be waged against the repressive politic of the state in the attitude to the all anarchists. So we are calling to arise in your actions all the cases of repressions in Penza, St. Petersburg, cremia, Chelyabinsk and Moscow. All these repressions are the links of one chain for us.
But also is very important not to stop only on this theme when making the actions of solidarity with repressed anarchists. If it happens and we forget about other problems of our society, state will reach its goals, divert our attention and stop spreading of our ideas.
And of course none of repressions can suppress our desire for freedom and equity. We are calling the anarchists to be afraid of nothing and continue their struggle. Surrendering and retreating now we will achieve nothing and let them understand that it’s easy to suppress us by repressions. And, of course, every time when the anarchist movement will grow the repressions will be started. Only dedication in our struggle and solidarity can help us to stand at this hard time.