A case was opened against six “citizens of the USSR” from the Rostov region for an extremist organization

The Nelinovsky District Court of the Rostov Region received a case against six “USSR citizens” Oleg Kolesov, Elena and Alexander Akulinichev, Galina Moreva, Lidia Takhmatova and Maria Kamenskaya, accused of extremist charges. The information was published on the court’s website, and SOTA drew attention to it. Kolesov is accused of organizing the activities of an extremist organization (Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). According to the investigation, in 2017 he joined the “Union of Slavic Forces of Russia,” which at that time was not yet recognized as extremist; this happened in 2019. The man allegedly took the position of “Head of the Rostov region of the RSFSR within the USSR (acting)” and continued the activities of the organization. The rest are accused of participation in an extremist organization (Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, they propagated the ideology of the “Union of Slavic Forces of Rus'” and carried out propaganda work among local residents. SOTA notes that five “citizens of the USSR” became known on August 22, 2022; most likely, these were the defendants in the case. In October 2022, Kolesova, Akulinichev, Moreva, Tokhmakhova and Kamenskaya were added to the list of terrorists and extremists. According to information from the register, the oldest of the accused is Lidiya Tokhmakhova, she is 65 years old. The youngest, Alexander Akulinichev, is 50 years old.

The arrest was made by “Citizens of the USSR” - a movement uniting fighters for the restoration of the rights of citizens of the USSR. Followers of the organization believe that the Union continues to exist, and the Russian Federation is a “trading company.” Some of the participants in “Citizens of the USSR” refuse any ties with Russia as a state, for example, do not sign any documents, and notify local authorities of the need to vacate their posts. - In August 2022, the trial in Samara of the movement “Citizens of the USSR” was an extremist organization. Prior to this, the list of extremist organizations included “” and “,” whose followers also denied the fact of the collapse of the USSR. recognized by the People's Council of Citizens of the RSFSR USSR Arkhangelsk Region Union of Slavic Forces of Russia