Russia

The Russian authorities continue to prosecute and jail our comrades. In the summer and fall of 2016, demonstrations of solidarity with the convicts were held all across the globe. The anarchists are furthermore suffering repressions in jails, but keep the spirit up. If you think that we have missed something important in our article or are aware of other repressions, feel free tocontact us at abc-msk@riseup.net  

Free at last  

From 7th to 8th of January 2017 fourth Father Frost against Putin-festival will be organised in Helsinki. Exact festival location will be announced later. 

As in earlier years, various Russian grassroot initiatives will present themselves in festival. You should visit festival, if you are interested on what has happened in Russian anarchist, feminist and queer movements

during year 2016.

All festival events will be open to everyone. 

Alexei Gaskarov: Many People Ask Whether I Am Going to Take up Politics. But What Politics Are There Nowadays?

Olesya GerasimenkoSnob
November 1, 2016

"Avtonom" magazine is the most well-known and fancy anarchist paper of the exUSSR, published since year 1995. Now, the next, 37th issue is ready to be published. It will tell you:

• how the state is destroying education system;

• about sweatshop exploitation in "Magnit" chain stores;

• who profits on Syria war;

• what are the impressions about the Donbass war for an anarchist from Kiev and for a communist from Luhansk region;

• about feminism in Muslim countries;

Elena Nadezhkina took part in different animal defence-, eco- and social actions, international solidarity actions and many others. Until 2009 she volunteered for several years: rescued dogs and cats and found homes for them.  Moreover, Elena participated in ecological projects: campaign against deforestation, campaign for political prisoners of the Khimki forest defence and other social actions.

Between 1st and 10th of July, international days of solidarity for political prisoners of Putin's police state took place in 22 cities of 10 different countries.

A new BBC documentary on Russian dissidents features anarchist Alexey Polihovich and wife of antifa prisoner Anna Gaskarova. 

Our World -Russia: Crushing Dissent BBC Documentary 2016

From 1 to July 10, 2016, a call to action in solidarity with anarchists and antifascists imprisoned-e-s in Russia was made by the Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow. Indeed, the political and repressive situation in Russia is very hard for our comrades fighting for anarchism and fascism (and more generally for all those fighting for human rights), and many of them found themselves es imprisoned in high security prisons or labor camps because of their activism, often condemned es for terrorism or violence.

July 2nd, in Simferopol near the FSB and Crimean prosecutor’s offices activists held pickets as a part of International Days of Solidarity with political anarchist and anti-fascist prisoners. Authorities had not confirmed pickets, and police had been at the venue.

Despite these facts, activists uncovered placards near the FSB office. After 20 minutes of quarrels with the police, activists decided to change their position and met Crimean prosecutor’s office with a single picket.

Vladimir Putin will visit Finland on friday 1th of July 2016. Conflict in Ukraine is still going on, in year 2016 only more than 600 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and wounded in ceasefire violations. Both parts of the conflicts have been reluctant to fulfill their responsibilities under Minsk II treaty. Vladimir Putin admitted presence of Russian troops last December, and he is one of the persons directly involved in the continuation of the bloodshed, and bears personal responsibility for human rights violations in occupied Ukrainian territory.

31 may 2016 Taganrog City Court Judge Georgy Serebryanikov sentenced 31-year-old local resident Elizaveta Tsvetkova to a year of corrective labor for disseminating leaflets criticizing the police, reports Caucasian Knot.

When mass civil protests in Russia were defeated in 2011-12 the Putinist police regime started open political repressions against militants of social and political movements, including anarchists and antifascists. Many activists have been sentenced to prison terms in the course of the last 5 years in Russia.  

Dmitry Buchenkov, PhD in political sciences, antifascist, anarchist and boxing coach, has been under arrest for already more than three months in “Vodnik” remand prison. Investigators suspect him of participating in the riots of May 6, 2012 at Bolotnaya Square in Moscow. The absurdity of the accusation against Dmitry Buchenkov is quite evident: he had been in Nizhny Novgorod on that day, more than 300 km away from Moscow, but he was arrested anyway despite the alibi.

How do you spend your day in prison?

A well-known antifascist and anarchist Dmitry Buchenkov, PhD in political science, was arrested in Moscow in December 2015. He is suspected of participating in the riots of May 6, 2012. More than 400 persons were arrested as a result of a mass protest action against Putin’s politics that took place on May 6, 2012 in Moscow. Dmitry was not in Moscow on that day, he was in Nizhny Novgorod, more than 300 km away from Moscow.

At the beginning of December, Dmitry Buchenkov became the latest person in Russia’s ‘Bolotnaya Case’, a series of investigations and trials into Russia’s opposition now in its fourth year.

Russian authorities have upped the ante in their pressure on anarchists from “Autonomous Action” movement as

"OVD-INFO" (russian NGO which observes police repressions) has found photos of Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012. In the center the person in black "which in Investigative committee (Russian analog of FBI) is considered to be Dmitry Buchenkov". According to Buchenkov's companions, it is obviouslu another person. Any person who has seen Dmitry Buchenkov at least once, would understand that there is different person on this photo. But our state and its repressive structures probably have "problems with sight", giving out a photo of the unknown person for a photo Dmitry.

Human rights activists found the new person involved in "Bolotnaya Square case" who was looked for four days by relatives and the lawyer. I remember how three years ago we counted arrested of "bolotnik": the first, the second, thirteenth, eighteenth. Then some of arrested were released — it appeared that they have an alibi and on Bolotnaya Square on May 6 they weren't.

On June 2 preliminary hearing regarding the case of anarchist political prisoner Ilya Romanov from Nizhnii Novgorod was conducted in Moscow District Military Court. Ilya took part in the court session via video conference link. The court rejected all the petitions of the defendant's lawyer, Evgeny Gubin, including the petition to cancel his "non-disclosure" pledge, which the investigating bodies made him to sign.

Actions to demand the release Alekxander Kolchenko will take place in France from June 27 to 30, 2015. Demonstraions and meetings will be organised in Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Marseille and Biarritz. We strongly encourage you to join the solidarity campaign and to do something in support of Alexander Kolchenko from June 30 to July 5.