The following is our monthly review of instances of xenophobia and radical nationalism, along with any government countermeasures, for April 2024.

We recorded 23 hate-motivated attacks in April 2024. Almost half of them (10 of 23) were timed to coincide with April 20, Hitler’s birthday. In total, since the beginning of 2024, we have learned of 68 hate-motivated attacks. In addition, we have information about two attempted murders.

This month, we also learned of four acts of xenophobic vandalism. In April, the Assumption Cathedral in Ivanovo, an icon in one of the churches in Zelenograd, and a portrait on the grave of the leader of the punk group Korol i Shut were damaged. In addition, on Hitler’s birthday, ultra-right activists set fire to a car belonging to “non-Russians.” In total, since the beginning of 2024, we have become aware of six acts of xenophobically motivated vandalism.

The murder of 24-year-old biker Kirill Kovalyov, committed on April 17 in Moscow by Shahin Abbasov, caused a great resonance among right-wing radicals. Abbasov and two accomplices left the city and were detained in the Rostov region. Other alleged accomplices in the crime were detained in Moscow. The murder prompted calls in the far-right segment of the Internet to “deal with” migrants, “not tolerate lawlessness” and “unite in your own backyards.” A spontaneous memorial was created at the scene of the murder, to which, in particular, representatives of the Russian People's Squad (Russkaya narodnaya druzhina), as well as activists of “Society.Future” laid flowers.

Far-right vigilante activity continued actively. “Northern Man” and the Russian Community (Russkaya obshchina) took part in police raids on migrants’ places of residence, also carrying out "verifications" of retail outlets and taxis. These raids took place in Balashikha and Reutovo, Moscow region, in Obninsk (Kaluga region), Yekaterinburg and Saratov.

The Russian Community also carried out independent actions. For example, in Sergiev Posad, vigilantes held a “guiding conversation” with a man of “non-Slavic appearance” who was “molesting girls on the street.” As a result a young man speaking with a southern accent was forced to apologize on camera to “Russian girls”; the corresponding video was published on social networks. In Perm, about 25 representatives of “Northern Man” and the Russian Community came to the apartment of a native of Central Asia, who allegedly harassed a girl living in the same house, for a “serious conversation.”

On April 13, the Russian Community in Moscow tried to disrupt the “Evil Fest” horror festival. Ultra-right activists were triggered by the supposed presence of “items that insulted the images of Christ and the Virgin Mary.” The festival drew the attention of the general director of the Orthodox channel “Spas” Boris Korchevnikov and the Christian fundamentalist “Forty Forties” movement. On April 13, at the signal of the “Forty Forties” to the Gorky film studio, where the festival was taking place, police arrived and removed guests from the site. Representatives of the Russian Community who came to the festival “identified several cases of mockery of Christian images and symbols” and demanded that the relevant exhibits be removed.

After the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, some nationalists drew attention to the group Picnic, accusing the group of Satanism. The Russian Community condemned the “florid verses, similar to magic spells,” and called them “a banal imitation of occult symbols and openly black magic images.” Vladimir Kvachkov spoke in the same spirit, saying that the terrorist attack occurred precisely at the Picnic concert because “the work of this group is occultist, anti-Christian, anti-human.”

We learned of only one sentence for a hate-motivated murder threat, issued in April. In addition, we recorded one criminal case, against two people, initiated in April for xenophobic violence; and one related to xenophobic vandalism.

This year to date, we have become aware of four convictions for xenophobic violence, against 11 people; and two convictions, of two people, for xenophobic vandalism.

We know of 19 sentences for aggressive public statements handed down in April, against 20 people. They include:

- Seven people were convicted under Article 205.2 (public calls for terrorist activity) of the Criminal Code (CC) for social media posts (mainly on VKontakte and YouTube). Almost all of these statements were related to the “special military operation,” and contained calls for attacks on military registration and enlistment offices or approval of the actions of the ultranationalist Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, which are recognized as terrorist organizations. In one case, a statement from the closing argument in a trial related to VKontakte posts wishing death to Russia was qualified as public approval of terrorist actions.

- A resident of Vilyuchinsk was convicted under Article 280 CC (public calls for extremist activity) for WhatsApp group messaging with calls for “violent actions against a social group of persons – deputies of the State Duma.”

- One person was punished under Article 282 CC for xenophobic shouts while riding a bus.

- Five people were sentenced under Article 282.4 Part 1 CC (repeated propaganda or public display of Nazi symbols) for displaying Nazi symbols and AUE criminal subculture symbols.

- One person was punished under Articles 354.1 (rehabilitation of Nazism), 205.2 and 329 (desecration of the state flag) CC for publishing certain comments on Telegram and tearing a Russian flag from a wall.

Fifteen people were sentenced to imprisonment, one to a suspended sentence, three to fines, and one to community service.

Eleven of the 15 sentenced to imprisonment were convicted in conjunction with other articles of the Criminal Code, or were already in prison. “Only for words,” without circumstances known to us that would specifically lead to imprisonment, four people were sent to prison in April; all were convicted under Article 205.2 Part 2 CC. Maxim Polovnikov was sentenced to two years in prison for some unknown comments on the social network. A court sentenced Alexei Sidorov to two and a half years for drunkenly calling (on YouTube) for Ukraine to bomb Russia and, in particular, the presidential residence. Gaziz Davletbaev, who approved the attempted arson of a military registration and enlistment office, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. Zakhar Zaripov, who called on Ramzan Kadyrov not to send fighters to war, but to achieve independence for Chechnya, received five years in prison.

In total, since the beginning of the year, we have recorded 75 sentences passed against 78 people for aggressive public statements.

We would note that in April alone, we received information about 27 new criminal cases initiated against 28 people on the basis of public statements.

In April, we also learned of four verdicts, against seven people, for participation in extremist and terrorist communities and organizations: three people were convicted of involvement in the “Citizens of the USSR” movement, AUE and the Freedom of Russia Legion, respectively; four residents of Ufa were found guilty of collective preparation of attacks on government officials. In addition, there were reports of three new similar criminal cases involving five people.

This year so far, we have become aware of 13 sentences against 26 people for involvement in extremist and terrorist communities and organizations.

We have information about five people fined in April under Article 20.29 (production and distribution of extremist materials) of the Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO) for sharing via VKontakte, Telegram and LiveJournal the slogan “Russia for Russians,” “Dulles Plan” and various xenophobic pictures. In total, since the beginning of the year, we have recorded 32 fines for distribution of materials included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials.

No fewer than 33 people were sanctioned in April under Article 20.3 CAO (propaganda and public display of prohibited symbols). The majority were brought to justice for posts on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups that featured materials with Nazi symbols and symbols of banned organizations – ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Freedom of Russia Legion. Nine people were punished for actions committed offline: one of them shouted some extremist slogans, two put up stickers with SS symbols, a colony inmate drew a portrait of Hitler and demonstrated her creativity to other convicts, another five (three of them, also prisoners) showed others their swastika tattoos. Ten (out of 33) were placed under administrative arrest, and the rest were fined. In total, since the beginning of the year, we have learned of 170 cases of sentencing for such offenses.

Further, 15 people were punished in April for aggressive statements under Article 20.3.1 CAO (incitement to hatred). All of them were brought to justice for posts on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and Telegram groups directed against immigrants from Central Asia, natives of the Caucasus, Tatars, Jews, Russians, and police officers. Two were punished for offline actions: one for xenophobic shouts in an entryway, the other for graffiti on the walls of a residential building. One person was placed under administrative arrest, another was given a warning, and the rest were fined. In total, since the beginning of the year, we have become aware of 101 such court decisions.

The Federal List of Extremist Materials was updated three times this month, on April 16, 24 and 27, to account for new entries 5420–5424. All added materials are in the Ukrainian language: songs of the ultra-right Ukrainian groups Krepatura and SKVERNA, a book by Pavel Shtepa, a Ukrainian nationalist and participant in the civil war in Ukraine of 1917–1921. New additions also include a children's songbook by Vera Bagirova for new Ukrainian holidays, and a comic book about the “Red Terror."