Far-right activists from a group calling itself the “Russian Community” are increasingly being linked to violent assaults, anti-migrant raids, and mass brawls across Russia.
Recently, a court in the city of Kovrov ordered the arrest of two of its members for kidnapping an 18-year-old male. According to investigators, the accused tortured and threatened to kill the guy. While these activists have now found themselves in detention, members of the “Russian Community” have typically evaded responsibility for violence due to their close ties to security forces and the public patronage of Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Their raids have already turned fatal. A month ago, an attack carried out by the group led to the death of Gor Ovakimyan, a 37-year-old Armenian native living in the Leningrad region; no suspects have been named in the resulting criminal case for causing death by negligence.