March 25, 2004 "Izvestia published an article by Valentin Oskotsky "Fascism is the reality of our time", which raises the question of nationalist tendencies in modern Russian literature (in fact, this is a report by V. Oskotsky at the Assembly of Public Forces on Combating Xenophobia, Extremism and Terrorism , which went on February 26-27, 2004 in Moscow).

March 26, 2004, in Nizhny Novgorod, in the underground passage on Gagarin Avenue, an attack was made on three people, two Chinese citizens and a Syrian citizen, students of the Pedagogical University. A group of foreigners was returning after the First Interuniversity Festival of National Cultures of Foreign Students. In the Palace of Sports on the same evening there was a concert of the group "Aria". One of the victims managed to escape.

On March 24, 2004, a press conference dedicated to the launch of an interregional project against "hate speech" in the media was held at the Regional Press Institute.

More than a hundred people gathered in Chelyabinsk to protest against the development of "sectarianism" in Russia. The action was organized by the public movement "Russian Urals". According to movement coordinator Igor Moskvin, "sects" have a greater influence on Russian society than the Russian Orthodox Church. The indignation of the protesters is also caused by the significant financial support provided to the "sectarians".

On March 20, 2004, the Duma deputies voted in favor of the bill introduced by V.V. Putin on the formation of the Perm Territory, together with an amendment that contains the following paragraph: “ In the event of early termination of the powers of the head of any of the merging regions, their elections are not held,. .. the acting governor of the Perm region or the Komi-Permyatsk Autonomous Okrug is appointed by the President of the Russian Federation " .

Speaking at the forum of the peoples of the Caucasus, V. Putin spoke in support of the law on the support of traditional religions. Recalling that “the state is separated from the Church,” the president said that supporting the spiritual leaders of traditional faiths “within the framework of the law” is the responsibility of the state, reports “ Religion and Society ” with reference to ITAR-TASS. V. Putin considers support “also in the area of ​​property” necessary.

Speaking at the forum of the peoples of the Caucasus, V. Putin said that he would welcome the appearance of the Supreme Mufti of Russia, but he considers this a matter for Muslims. This statement was a reaction to the statement of the head of the Chechen Republic, Akhmad Kadyrov, about the need for a single Muslim leader in the country. Speaking at the Public Forum of the Peoples of the Caucasus and the South of Russia, A.

On March 24, 2004 Literaturnaya Gazeta published an article by Gennady Russkikh about the Chinese threat in the Far East. The author tries to justify the growth of anti-Chinese sentiment in Russian society. His claims are different - from low-quality consumer goods to a hypothetical military threat: "The reason for unleashing a military conflict may be the autonomy that the Chinese will demand when their numbers in Siberia and the Far East exceed the number of the indigenous population.

On March 25, 2004, a press conference was held at the Central House of Journalists by Sulieta Kusova, President of the Association of Ethno-Problematics under the Union of Journalists of Russia. She presented the results of a year-long monitoring of print and electronic media "Russia between Nord-Ost and the Duma Elections".

On March 25, 2004, the IV festival "Baikal Press" opened in Irkutsk, organized by the administration of the Irkutsk region and the regional Union of Journalists.

On March 25, 2004, Novaya Gazeta published an article by Alexander Mineev, "Which burns brighter - a church or a mosque?", dedicated to the tragic events in Kosovo and the rhetoric in which these events are comprehended. A. Mineev notes that despite the complexity of the situation in Kosovo, it is possible and should discuss the conflict not in ethnic, but in political and diplomatic terms. It is significant that even Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica "playing by European rules ...

On March 26, 2004, an anti-Caucasian rally was held by the Russian Movement Against Illegal Immigrants near the building of the Pedagogical Institute on Nekrasov Street in Pskov. The group consisted of teenagers, most of whom hid their faces. They held posters with slogans in their hands.

March 26, 2004 in Pskov, near the building of the Pedagogical Institute on Nekrasov Street, a rally of the Russian Movement against illegal immigrants was held. Having gathered at the children's regional library in the Children's Park, about 20 teenagers, most of whom hid their faces, moved towards the courtyard of the city administration.

An inter-confessional meeting was held in Adygea, in which representatives of "traditional" religions took part. As of today, 19 "sects" are registered in the republic, where more and more young people are involved. Mufti of Adygeya and the Krasnodar Territory Nurbiy Emizh urged not to "lure religion" by "fraudulent means", as is done, for example, by Jehovah's Witnesses.

On March 26, the Golovinsky Court of Moscow decided to close the community of Jehovah's Witnesses. The court granted the petition of the prosecutor's office of the Northern District of Moscow, which accused members of the community of conducting extremist activities. The trial of the Jehovah's Witnesses began in September 1998. Witnesses' lawyer Artur Leontiev intends to appeal the decision of the Golovinsky Court to the Moscow City Court, the documents for this have already been prepared.