The neo-Nazi movement “Russkaya Obshchina” actively cooperates with the Russian Orthodox Church, raises money for the needs of the Russian army, works with law enforcement agencies, and campaigns against migrants.

This is stated in a BBC investigation.

“Russkaya Obshchina” is the largest nationalist association in Russia. In just four years of existence, it has expanded to around 150 cells across the country and in the occupied territories.

“What distinguishes Russkaya Obshchina from previous generations of Russian nationalists is that it is completely loyal to the political regime,” says Aleksandr Verkhovskiy, director of the SOVA Research Center, who has studied Russian right-wing movements for more than 20 years.

Members of “Russkaya Obshchina” support the war in Ukraine and the course adopted by Vladimir Putin toward the “strengthening of traditional values”. They actively cooperate with the church, raise money for the needs of the Russian army, work with law enforcement agencies, and campaign against migrants.

The social media accounts of “Russkaya Obshchina” are filled with posts containing anti-migrant rhetoric, in which citizens of CIS countries arriving in Russia are described with insulting language. Members of the group write extensively about crimes allegedly committed by newcomers, and ordinary situations in their retelling often turn into ethnically charged conflicts.

“Russkaya Obshchina” regularly conducts raids together with law enforcement agencies. According to BBC calculations, members of the organisation have participated in at least 900 raids in different regions of Russia, with more than 300 of them carried out jointly with security forces.

BBC sent a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the agency’s interaction with “Russkaya Obshchina”, but received no response. One member of “Russkaya Obshchina” and a source close to the organisation also told BBC that the group coordinates its actions with the FSB.

Members of the group visit construction sites, hostels, shops, and nightclubs. Their goals range from searching for undocumented migrants to disrupting parties that allegedly “violate traditional values” or supposedly contain “LGBT propaganda”.

“We are trying to make the world better. We are trying to make the filth that offends Orthodox Christians and Russians a little cleaner. The music, the culture, and simply making people watch their language and stop talking nonsense,” says Dmitriy, whose name has been changed for security reasons, and who joined “Russkaya Obshchina” after being wounded in Ukraine, where he fought on the side of the Russian army.

According to Russian media reports, the neo-Nazi organisation “Russkaya Obshchina” enjoys the support of the security forces and the Russian Orthodox Church, including Archbishop Savva (Tutunov).

Members of the “Russkaya Obshchina” movement, which until recently stood on the verge of being recognised as an extremist organisation and now officially cooperates with the Russian Orthodox Church, take part in Orthodox cross processions organised by the Church.