Analysis of videos depicting far right attacks in Russian Telegram channels in November 2023
During the past month, on far-right Telegram channels, we have documented 51 unique videos, capturing 81 attacks. Among them, 33 were attacks on property, and 48 were assaults on individuals, including 2 murders: a knife attack on a homeless person and a hammer killing in Novosibirsk.
It's important to note that not all of these attacks occurred in November. Often, far-right individuals delay the publication of their videos to confuse the trail.
Assaults on people
As before, the majority of attacks on individuals involve the dispersal of pepper spray (23 incidents). In addition, in 6 cases, the pepper spray attack was accompanied by beatings, in one case – by a group beating, and in one more case – by firing a rocket launcher.
Fifteen videos document brutal group beatings. In 3 cases, these occurred during staged encounters. In 2 cases, batons were used for beating. In 2 cases, the victims were sprayed with gas. In one case, beating with a hammer resulted in the death of the victim.
In 7 cases, the attacks were limited to relatively minor beatings, which likely did not lead to severe health consequences.
In one case, a chase of a man is documented, which, as far as we can tell, does not result in anything.
In another video, the stabbing death of a homeless person is recorded.
In 2 videos, the attacks themselves are not captured, but the far-right individuals boast about their "trophies." In one case, it is a mobile phone, and in the other, it is a Tajikistan passport and other documents.
Assaults on property
As in previous months, the majority of property attacks involve damaging vehicles (27 incidents). In the overwhelming majority of cases (24 incidents), far-right individuals damaged the tires of cars. Once, the tire damage was accompanied by breaking windows, and in another case, arson of the vehicle. Additionally, 2 car arsons and one incident of breaking windows without damaging tires were recorded.
In 3 videos, far-right individuals break into closed vegetable kiosks at night: breaking windows, overturning crates, and trampling on goods. In one case, the vandal's target was a "Halal" sign.
In 2 videos, bicycles became the targets of far-right attacks.
Victims of assault
The majority of attacks (54 incidents) occurred on racial grounds, with the victims being either "non-Russian" individuals (28 incidents) or their cars (22), bicycles (2), or vegetable stalls. In the descriptions of the videos, the far-right individuals specifically highlight migrants, Caucasians, and Muslims. However, the accuracy of these descriptions raises doubts.
In 6 videos, intoxicated individuals are targeted. In 3 cases, attacks are carried out against homeless people, one of which involves the stabbing death of a homeless person. Another murder victim was a young man from Novosibirsk who was looking for substances.
In 5 cases, the targets of the attacks were supporters of the Special Forces of Russia (SVR), specifically their cars with Z-stickers.
In 3 incidents, the victims were individuals of Slavic appearance, and the reasons for the attacks are unclear.
In 8 videos, it is unclear who the target of the attack is, and information is absent even in the video descriptions.
Conclusions
In November, the number of videos decreased compared to previous months—from 71 videos in September to 68 in October and 51 in November. The number of recorded attacks also decreased: 81 in November, compared to 120 in October and 94 in September.
However, despite the reduction in quantity, the brutality of the attacks increased. Firstly, for the first time in three months, videos with murders were recorded in November. Secondly, the number of brutal group beatings increased: 15 in November compared to 8 in October.
As predicted earlier, the quantity of far-right violence and its impunity is gradually transitioning into quality. Far-right teenagers are getting bored with attacking passersby with gas canisters, and they are moving on to more brutal attacks. However, unlike their predecessors in the 2000s, the chances of escaping unpunished for today's killers are minimal because Russian cities are now covered by a dense network of surveillance cameras. The incident in Novosibirsk, where both killers were apprehended within a couple of hours after the discovery of the body, is a vivid confirmation of this.
More detailed information with video analyses is available on our Telegram channel in Russian.