Attacks

During January-February 2010 24 attacks motivated by aggressive xenophobia were recorded and 8 dead and 24 wounded were their results. Anti-rating of intolerance regions: Moscow and Moscow region (3 dead, 8 wounded), Altay region (1 dead, 3 wounded at least), Vladivostok (1 dead, 1 wounded), Nizhniy Novgorod region and Kaliningrad region, Daghestan (1 dead each), St. Petersburg and Leningrad region (8 wounded), Ryazan (1 wounded), Irkutsk (1 wounded), Izhevsk (1 wounded), Yaroslavl region (1 wounded).

The victims of attacks include: the Kirghiz (2 dead, 2 wounded), Koreans (1 dead, 1 wounded), Russians (1 dead), Uzbeks (6 wounded), natives of Africa (1 wounded), Arabs (1 wounded), Azerbaijanis (1 wounded), Tajiks (1 wounded), Buryats (1 wounded), Germans (1 wounded), the Chinese (1 wounded), Tuvinians (1 wounded).

During similar period of 2009 16 dead and 49 wounded were recorded, in 2008 – 36 dead, 58 wounded.

In February 13 attacks were recorded and 4 dead and 11 wounded were their results.

On February 2 in Izhevsk an attack was committed on anti-fascist M. Kolbin.

On February 8 a group of teenagers has beaten two men with “Asian appearance” at Khlebnikovo station (Moscow region). Later the same company attacked a citizen of Tajikistan in Dolgoprudny town.

In Moscow on February 9 a 18-year-old citizen of Kyrghyzstan was killed.

On February 9 a man with “Asian appearance” was killed in the South-East of Moscow.

On February 9 in Pereslavl-Zalessky a 27-year-old “patriot” was strangling and setting fire to an old man with German roots calling this a revenge for his grandfather who perished at war.

On February 10 the Buryat was beaten in Irkutsk.

On February 15 in Barnaul an attack was committed on two students from South Korea. One of them, Quong Byong Gil, died from beating on February 18.

On February 16 in Pargolovo (Leningrad region) two men with “Asian appearance” were wounded.

In February in Barnaul two attacks on natives of Tyva and China at least were recorded, and two persons at least were their victims.

On February 24 a mass skirmish of youth groups took place in the capital of Karachai-Cherkess participated by more than 500 persons. Young people of Circassian and Abazin nationality arranged a scuffle with Karachais. Sticks, stones, and iron rods were used in the scuffle. Militia appeared on the place of incident just in several hours. Number of the wounded is unknown.

On February 27, during the scuffle in the bar “Drinking glass” in Nizhniy Novgorod, the skinheads killed a young man – tram driver – probably taking him for an anti-fascist.

Spreading of xenophobic views

On January 26-31 the Analytic Center of Yuri Levada (Levada-center) conducted a representative lightning interrogation of 500 Muscovites. 31% of the interrogated named big number of newcomers from the Caucasus among 5-6 problems making them anxious.

Vandalism

On February 16 in Khakasia unknown people desecrated the monument to the exiled from Ukraine.

On February 26 it became known that in Naro-Fominsk (Moscow region) unknown persons drew symbols similar to Nazi attributes.

Threats

The first night of opera “Hebrewess” in Mikhailovsky theatre of St. Petersburg on February 18 was postponed due to the threat of explosion. Before the first night an unknown person phoned to the theatre and stated that “the theatre would explode before start of the performance”.

Use of pseudo-human rights rhetoric

Early in February 2010 so-called Russian informational center headed by A. Savelyev issued its next annual report “Russo-phobia in Russia. 2009”. The main objective of this document is to prove the point actively propagated by nationalists concerning Russo-phobia allegedly dominating in Russia and to present radical nationalists as persons who suffered guiltlessly from the authorities. Within this task A. Savelyev tries to present combat against xenophobia as “combat against Russians”, “combat against ideology disliked by the authorities”, “large-scale repressions greatly exceeding the limits of law” and “activity against Russian people”. Anti-extremist legislation is also called Russo-phobic. It is stated that “aggressive Russo-phobia became a part of the state policy, a world outlook of highest officials of law-enforcement system”.

Already in the report introduction Savelyev asserts that Russians are allegedly infringed upon their rights in Russia, as well as restricted in the system of authority, business, culture, and social security. Later on this point is repeated more than once, and A. Savelyev means mostly Russian radical nationalists using the terms “Russians”, “Russian people” etc. The disputable point is also repeated here that confessions of skinheads about the committed crimes were acquired with the help of tortures.

A. Savelyev’s irritation was caused by the programs of tolerance propaganda as they allegedly “undermine Russian solidarity dissolving it in abstract and cosmopolitan “tolerance”.

Anti-Semitism is also available in Savelyev’s report. For example, he states that for an Orthodox the Judaism “leads to abyss” – i.e. not just to “disastrous state” but to the ruin of everything that is holy in the human, to the ruin of the soul. Absolutely unreliable data about service of “up to 150 thousand” Jews in Wehrmacht were presented as well as the fraud that was exposed long ago about 10000 Jews that were captured by the Soviet army during the Great Patriotic war (in fact these were the members of so-called workers’ battalions of Hungarian army who were mostly coming over to the side of the Soviet army themselves).

A separate chapter of report titled “Russo-phobes-human rights activists” was devoted to human rights organizations involved into combat against xenophobia. In Savelyev’s opinion, human rights activists allegedly deal with “calumnious insinuations” concerning radical nationalists.

On February 7 the charitable sports all-round events tournament took place in St. Petersburg arranged in support of “right-wing prisoners” by nationalistic “Fund of help to right-wing prisoners of St. Petersburg”. The activity was visited by 80 persons and 15000 rubles were collected.

After conviction of K. Dushenov the Union of Russian people published a statement where Dushenov’s actions were interpreted as “resistance to the evil”. It was announced that in Russia “tolerant” ideology of equalization of the good and the evil is implanted and even anti-Christian religion is announced “traditional”. The demands advanced by the “unionists” include: “to stop issuing warnings and instituting criminal proceedings under clause 282 for manifestation of the Orthodox doctrine” (i.e. for anti-Semitic statements disguised by words about Orthodoxy), and to include the Judaic literature into the Federal list of extremist materials as they consider it misanthropic. They also demanded to include URP member V. Osipov into the Council of experts under the ministry of justice of RF for execution of state religious studies’ expert examination.

Public actions of nationalists

On February 6 representatives of RONS and Tula society of Orthodox gonfalon-carriers conducted a procession in Pokrov (Vladimir region).

On February 22 Moscow monarchists held a picket near the monument to A.S. Griboyedov devoted to the memory of participants of 1st Kuban “Icy march”.

In St. Petersburg on February 23 a meeting took place in defense of officers of the Russian army arranged by Movement against illegal immigration (DPNI), Russian imperial movement and National-Bolsheviks. The activity participants demanded the amnesty for servicemen of Russian army who fought in Chechnya and were convicted for military crimes. On the same day in Syktyvkar several dozen national-patriots headed by leader of organization “Borders of the North” Alexey Kolegov held a meeting near the monument to warriors-internationalists.

On February 28 in Moscow the nationalists held a meeting in honor of so-called Day of heroes – day of memory of paratroopers who perished in 2000 in highland Chechnya. The meeting arranged by DPNI and “Slavic union” was participated by about 150-200 people. The activity finished with laying of flowers to the monument to paratroopers. According to the information of an eye-witness, most speeches “as usual came to the statement that all the non-Russians should be driven out. That it is necessary to fight, to die for Russia but to release it from non-Russians. Putin and Kadyrov caught it separately”.

On February 16 in Makhachkala a meeting of Kumyk activists took place; they demanded retention of position of the prime-minister by a representative of their nationality. The meeting was participated by more than 1000 people. The adopted address to the President of RF D. Medvedev stated that “the policy of domination of interests of so-called ruling ethnoses is implemented in the republic for already many decades due to half-baked decisions of the federal center with complete ignoring of interests of other native peoples of the republic”. “The Kumyk people are on the verge when any protest actions are possible, the action participants stated. They appear occasionally today but with such policy they may turn into mode of life of Kumyk people. The solution of the problem about the government chairman would show the attitude of federal authority to the whole Kumyk people”.

Nationalists and non-systemic opposition

The nationalist Yu. Mukhin was included on February 22 into the Central committee of newly established party “Russian united labor front” (“ROT Front”). At the same time the only objection expressed by the left concerning his candidature dealt not with Yu. Mukhin’s nationalistic views but with his disrespectful attitude towards K. Marx.

Participation in election

Early in February it became known that there is a representative of nationalist organization RONS available among the candidates to the deputies of Petushki district of Vladimir region – Irina Sukhorukova. In Novosibirsk the leader of local DPNI R. Antonov was registered as a candidate from the “Fair Russia”.

Law-enforcement practice

In January-February 2010 47 persons were convicted for crimes motivated by xenophobia. Five people were sentenced to correctional or compulsory work, 21 – got suspended sentences, four – were sentenced to fines, four – to 1-5-year imprisonment, 8 – to 5-10-year imprisonment, three – to 10-15-year imprisonment, 1 – to 15-20-year imprisonment and 1 – to 20-25-year imprisonment.

During similar period of 2009 23 persons were convicted for crimes motivated by xenophobia, in 2008 – 29. Preservation of such a punishment as suspended sentences being quite inefficient attracts attention. These verdicts do not prevent the nationalists at all from committing crimes again, at the same time remaining with nimbus of martyrs offended by the authority.

On February 16 the Severobaikalsk city court of Buryatia passed a suspended sentence on the local resident who placed information being of extremist character towards the Russians on the Internet.

On February 24 Naberzhniye Chelny city court passed a suspended sentence on the Tatar nationalist F. Bairamova – 1-year imprisonment with 1-year deferment of punishment, for her xenophobic statements.

On February 25 Moscow city court, basing upon the decision of jury, sentenced nine persons involved in the case of “White wolves” accused of attack on the citizens motivated by ethnic hostility, to imprisonment of 6,5-23 years. Leader of the group Alexey Djavakhishvili was sentenced to 7-year imprisonment in general regime colony and other group members got from 6,5 to 23 years of imprisonment. Three else of the accused were found not guilty by the jury. Dmitry Isakin who had previous conviction got 23-year imprisonment, at the same time he would have to serve five of them in prison and others – in strict regime colony. Sergey Demchenko got 17-year imprisonment, Dmitry and Viktor Petrovs were sentenced to 10-year and 15-year imprisonment in the strict regime colony correspondingly. Nikolay Pamfilov was sentenced to 9,5-year imprisonment in general regime colony and Alexander Solovyov got nine years. The most lenient penalty – 6,5-year imprisonment in correctional colony - was passed on the youngest group member Ivan Strelnikov.

On February 25, 2010 the justice of the peace of Ordjonikidzevsky district of Ufa passed a guilty verdict on three young men who had beaten a student – native of Chad - in August 2009. Two of accused being under age, taking into account their complete admission of guilt and other mitigating factors, got the punishment of 110 hours of correctional work and the attacker at the age of 18 got 180 hours. Besides, the convicts must pay 60 thousand rubles to the aggrieved together as a compensation of material and moral damage.

On February 26 in city court of St. Petersburg the jury passed a guilty verdict on five skinheads who attacked African Russian Mair Alexander Muneni Mkama in November 2007.

On February 27 it became known that the decision of Leninsky district court of Vladivostok came into force concerning satisfaction of application of Leninsky district public prosecutor about acknowledgement of anti-Semitic and anti-German character informational materials placed on the Internet on the forum “Spirituality, religion, philosophy” extremist.

The Federal list of extremist materials was replenished again and numbered 493 items up to late February.

During January-February Roscomnadzor issued two warnings to mass media for execution of extremist activity.