Knight of the "Russian image"

The end of the May holidays was marked by reports of detention in Serbia and Ukraine, the former leader of the organization "Russian Image" Ilya Goryachev (Student) and previously unknown nationalist Mikhail Volkov. The Investigative Committee reported that both nationalists were in an international search on case of the Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists (BORN) and are suspected of involvement in a number of high-profile murders in Russia, including murders of Moscow City Court judge Eduard Chuvashov and lawyer Stanislav Markelov.

Who is Ilya Goryachev? He has been known since March 2003, when he together with Nikita Tikhonov, the future murderer of Markelov, founded the magazine "Russian image", which has become in fact the core of the ultra-right of the same name organizations. The Russian Image movement consolidated around Internet portal of the same name, which united the magazine itself, the rock group "Hook on the right”, a military sports club and several other projects. Concept association was taken from the Serbian movement "Image", founded monarchist Neboisha Krstic. (In 2010 at the first All-Russian Congress of the "Russian Image" Goryachev resigned from the post of head movement.)

"Russian Image" has been repeatedly accused of "connecting with the Kremlin" as part of called the "managed nationalism" project. Like it or not hard to say. Undoubtedly, there were connections between the “Russian Image” and “Russia young". It is noteworthy that in 2009 during the "Russian March" "Russian Image" together with "Resistance" (an ultra-right movement, created by mixfighter Roman Zentsov) conducted a competing the main march is the concert of the Kolovrat group, which had not been performed outdoors. For me personally, it's a mystery how obtain permission to hold a group concert, aggressive, the openly racist character of which is well known not only in Russia, but also in the Czech Republic, where the leader of Kolovrat Denis Gerasimov was tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to be convicted of racist propaganda.

However, all these games are now not so interesting, since what can be was considered "controlled nationalism", ceased from the end of 2009 of the year.

Subsequently, Goryachev "famous" for testifying against his associate of Nikita Tikhonov at the high-profile trial of the murder of a lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. Later Goryachev left Russia, it seems, fearing rather not the police, but revenge nationalists, and tried to retract his testimony, saying that he allegedly gave them under pressure from the investigation. But this denial of legal does not matter - according to the law, you can only refuse to testify in person in a court.

The leader of the Russian "branch" of the international neo-Nazi group "Blood & Honor Combat-18" Sergey Golubev (Opera). The connection between the "Russian image" and "Blood & Honor Combat-18" was clearly not limited to this, which confirms the joint statement issued in 2007 "Ethical code"; the style of this document clearly betrayed the general skinhead youth Opera and Student.

After the verdict to Tikhonov and Khasis on the organization - not only on the Goryachev - curses and accusations of "betrayal" fell. That fact, that the leader of the organization testified led to a severe crisis in relations between the "Russian Image" and the nationalist movement, relations "RO" with many small neo-Nazi groups were hopelessly spoiled. At the May Day march in 2011, the leader of the Russian movement Dmitry Demushkin personally tried to push the members of the organization out of columns. However, problems with associates at the "Russian image" arose and before: they were repeatedly accused of financial dishonesty, in particular, that the money raised to help the far right prisoners, they spend inappropriately. The typical designation "RO" on Nazi forums became a "bitch image".

Abroad Goryachev especially did not hide. Spoke at the opening Belarusian wing of the Russian Image, published in Russia in collections Right-Conservative Alliance (PCA), which claimed to create another version of nationalism "recognized by the authorities".

All the more unexpected was the news of his arrest. True, initially blogs reported that he was detained due to a violation of the regime of stay foreign citizen in Serbia. Just as unexpected news that he was put on the international federal wanted list and suspected of involvement in several racist murders. Perhaps this is due to the fact that a life-sentenced prisoner Tikhonov is now in a Moscow pre-trial detention center and, apparently, is actively giving testimony in other criminal cases.

Personally, I doubt that Goryachev, with his type of Komsomol functionary leader and the image of "an educated nationalist with a human face" could personally participate in the murders, although I do not exclude that he could provide indirect assistance.

Much less is known about the second detainee, Mikhail Volkov. Some Mikhail Volkov appears among those convicted in the April 30 pogrom case 2001 near the Tsaritsyno metro station. A crowd armed with metal rods, began to beat the merchants of "non-Slavic appearance." IN As a result, three people died and more than two dozen were injured. By the verdict of the Moscow City Court that Volkov received nine years of strict regime, then the Supreme Court reduced the sentence to five years. However, it is not clear whether the it's a person.

It is not surprising that the far-right was detained precisely in Ukraine, which has become refuge for Russian right-wing radicals. For example, here hiding from criminal prosecution, the ideological inspirer of the "Northern Brotherhood" Peter Khomyakov (until he stupidly returned to Russia, where he was arrested by the FSB). A former member of the neo-Nazi group United Brigade-88” (OB-88) 28-year-old Alexei Korshunov, suspected of murders of judge Eduard Chuvashov and anti-fascist Ivan Khutorsky, later blown up by his own grenade. At least for a while held in Ukraine by a veteran of the ultra-right movement who escaped from St. Petersburg Yuri Belyaev.

According to the ICR, both detainees are involved in the case of the "Combat Organization Russian nationalists" (BORN). It is not known whether this organization in reality. It is only clear that the BORN brand appeared in 2008. Then BORN took responsibility for the cruel attack on two citizens of Tajikistan in the Moscow region: in December 2008 year, the severed head of one of the victims was thrown into the trash container at the administration of the Mozhaysky district, and the photograph of this head sent by e-mail to the addresses of a number of human rights organizations. Subsequently, BORN assumed responsibility for a number of other crimes - arson of the Kuntsevsky SKP building in Moscow on August 26, 2009 of the year, the explosion of the Moscow cafe "Artizan" on September 4, 2008, murder 3 September 2009, the person involved in the case of the Black Hawks group Rasul Khalilov, the murder of anti-fascist Ivan Khutorsky in November 2009. IN In January 2011, a threatening letter from BORN was received by the Deputy Director AZHUR Evgeny Vyshenkov and some employees of the St. Petersburg police department. The murdered judge Eduard Chuvashov also received threats from BORN. It's not even clear Are some people sending out all these threats? After all, at first BORN took over responsibility for crimes not reported by the media, and thus drew attention to the incidents. Later, the organization began to take responsibility for crimes widely known and described in detail in media. To be honest, it seems to me that it is unlikely that all these actions could make one group.

Even if BORN is only a brand, or such a group existed in actually only for a short time. The investigation is capable of this figure out. But to the activities of the "Russian Image" and related groups worth a closer look. The problem is that relatively harmless-looking "Russian image" with a leader in the form of a Komsomol boy Goryachev is only at first glance distanced from violence. However, the first row of activists is followed by people who directly involved in violent acts. Behind any Goryachev is "underground" Tikhonov.

Sources

• Yudina N. Knight of the "Russian Image" // Grani.ru. 2013. May 14.