In July 2023, Finnish authorities arrested Yan Petrovsky (also known by his nom de guerre "Slavyan"), a Russian neo-Nazi who served as a co-commander of the Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group called "Rusich," or the "Rusich Group." Petrovsky, who is named along with Alexei Milchakov as a commander of Rusich, is suspected of "terrorist acts that occurred between June 2014 and August 2015 in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions [of Ukraine]." During this period, the Rusich Group participated in hostilities on the side of the LPR and DPR. Ukraine demanded that Finland extradite Petrovsky, alleging war crimes against Ukranian prisoners. However, on December 8, the Supreme Court of Finland rejected Ukraine's request, citing possible inhumane conditions in Ukrainian prisons. Petrovsky remains in Finnish custody.
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In 2022, the Rusich Group and both of its commanders, Milchakov and Petrovsky, were included in the U.S. sanctions list for their "special cruelty" in battles in the Kharkiv Oblast, in eastern Ukraine.
The extremist ideas that Commander Milchakov, as well as some of the unit's members, proclaim in their public appearances, interviews, and Internet posts don't seem to draw criticism from the Russian authorities. For instance, Chairman of the Defense Committee Andrei Kartapolov, a deputy in the State Duma (the lower chamber of the Russian parliament) commented, in an interview with a St. Petersburg-based media outlet,[1] reportedly dismissed Milchakov's neo-Nazi views. Kartapolov stated, "I think they've gotten their [neo-Nazi] tattoos off and aren't giving Nazi salutes anymore. (...) If they are carrying out tasks as part of a grouping of Russian troops [in Ukraine], then [it means] they have already changed."
Despite Kartopolov's assurances, it also seems that members of Rusich maintain contacts with members of far-rigtht groups (according to videos of joint training exercises), and still hold right-wing and extreme views. In an interview with an extremist VK group, Milchakov spoke of his disdain for Russian liberals and left-wingers, and fears that he and his family might be prosecuted for their views. He reiterated his nationalist views, while criticizing Ukrainian nationalist groups. In the interview, Milchakov noted the tense relations between the Rusich Group and the Kremlin. An interviewer asked how the state continues to allow the Rusich group to operate. Milchakov replied, "The state is no less interested in us than we are interested in the state."
In August 2023, the Rusich Group stated that its forces would not participate in hostilities in Ukraine until their comrade and commander, Petrovsky, was extradited from Finland to Russia. The post was seen as a harsh critique of Russian authorities:
The screenshot depicts a post on the Rusich Group's Telegram channel, announcing the cessation of military operations. The text reads: "In the meantime, until the situation with Slavyan [Yan Petrovsky] is resolved in the way we want (extradition to the Russian Federation), Rusich stops performing any combat missions. [Thus] there will be time to relax and resolve the accumulated matters. If a country cannot protect its citizens, then why should citizens protect the country?" The post gathered almost half a million views and was widely circulated.
The situation went so far that the Russian Ambassador to Finland began to receive threats from followers of the Rusich Telegram channel (or actual members of the Rusich Group), due to Russia's weak advocacy for Jan Petrovsky. In addition, the Rusich Group raised about 900,000 rubles (about $9,900 USD) to pay for the services of an attorney in Finland to represent Petrovsky. The post published by the group at the time read: "Many people who brand him for his right-wing views forget that, first and foremost, Jan is a true Russian warrior, who many times was not afraid to put his life at risk to protect the Russian people and the interests of the country."
It's difficult to assess the seriousness of the Rusich Group's intentions (or whether the group indeed withdrew from the hostilities). However, apparently, participation in the war in Ukraine is a necessary condition for the Kremlin's tolerance. It seems that at least some members of Rusich were not refusing to fight in Ukraine, but were on leave, or in training at military shooting ranges, including Milchakov himself. In October 2023, despite Petrovsky remaining in custody, the channel began to spread the news that some of its fighters were deployed at the front.
There were soon changes to the Rusich Group's operations. Commander Milchakov stated that the group would curb its commercial military training courses, due to the need to train personnel for war in Ukraine, and pursue some "new directions of work."
The screenshot depicts scenes of the Rusich Group training civilians for military action with heavy weapons, in October 2023. The post calls the civilians "right-wing comrades from St. Petersburg," adding that Rusich is "passing on knowledge to those close in spirit and views."
[1] Www.fontanka.ru/2023/03/02/72102716/.
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