Moscow-2021 without the Russian March

On November 4, 2021, the Russian March did not actually take place in Moscow.

In Moscow, on November 4, nationalist organizations, as they had in the previous year, planned three street actions. At the same time, all the organizers understood that in the current situation holding a full-fledged march, even a small one, was impossible.

In the church near Dobryninskaya metro station

Instead of a traditional march, the Permanent Council of the National Patriotic Forces of Russia (PDS NPSR) suggested simply taking part in a church service and procession. About 120 people gathered in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, not counting small children and clergy, and a significant part of them clearly were ordinary parishioners. The procession went around the church within its grounds; there were no political slogans or posters displayed.

In Lyublino

Ivan Beletsky, the former Party of Nationalists leader, currently living in exile, again tried to organize a march along the traditional route toward Lyublino. Beletsky applied for permission on behalf of his National Policy Institute together with the Russian Human Rights League but did not get the authorization and called instead for gathering in Pererva Street at noon and taking a walk while taking selfies. According to the SOVA Center’s observations, even if some people showed up there, they did not stick out or stand out in any way among the few local residents.

In the Moscow metro

Vladimir Basmanov's Nationalists’ Movement (including the Association of Popular Resistance (ANS)) also applied for permission to hold a march and failed.

Organizers then called on supporters to gather at four central metro stations by 14:30. The meeting points were coordinated in four Telegram channels of the “Friends of the Russian March brigades.”

The message was sent in the Telegram channel to go to the Pushkinskaya station. The number of journalists and police officers gathered there vastly exceeded the number of potential march attendees. Detentions began quite quickly. According to the SOVA Center’s observations, about 20 participants were detained at the Pushkinskaya station, where the brigades converged; some were released immediately after checking their IDs. Then the instruction was sent via the Telegram channel to proceed to the Oktyabrskoye Pole station, where five more participants were detained.

Then the message was sent in the Telegram channel to get out of the metro, stand with arms linked, and observe a minute of silence in memory of the girl killed in 2016 by her nanny Gulchekhra Bobokulova. However, there was virtually no one left: no more than eight participants gathered at the final destination. At 17:16, the organizers announced the end of the action.

According to OVD-Info, a total of 27 people were taken to police departments.

The conference

Representatives of Pravaya Rossiya (Russian for Right Russia) Igor Sobolev and Georgy Borovikov limited themselves to holding a Right Conference.

Photographs from the protest in the Moscow metro