In December 2023, we became aware of six hate-motivated attacks. As usual over the past six months, we learn about most of these attacks from videos of migrants and homeless people being beaten, appearing on a number of far-right Telegram channels. In total, since the beginning of the year, we have become aware of 119 victims of hate-motivated attacks, three murders and one serious death threat.

The following is our review of the primary and most representative events in the misuse of Russia's anti-extremist legislation in October 2023. Lawmaking On October 6, draft amendments to the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia “On service by local police commissioners in their administrative precincts and the organization of such activity” were submitted for public discussion.

In Transbaikalia, a court toughened the punishment for one underage Nazi skinhead and commuted the sentence for a second. The minors planned to set fire to the houses of people of “other nationalities.” On December 29, 2023, the Trans-Baikal Regional Court toughened the punishment of one of the Nazi skinheads, replacing his suspended sentence with a real term of 4 years 6 months in a general regime correctional colony.

The Vyselkovsky District Court will consider the cases of seven believers. On December 28–29 , 2023, the Vyselkovsky District Court of the Krasnodar Territory received criminal cases against seven Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the dock were Sergei Dvurechensky, Viktor Spirichev, Elena Gadrshina, Irina Zinina and her mother Lyudmila Zinina, Vasilina Penskaya and Elena Rumyantseva. All of them are accused under Part 2 of Art.

On December 28, 2023, the Federal List of Extremist Materials was updated. The list was supplemented by materials from the Bashkir cell of “citizens of the USSR”.

We are publishing a review of the main and most significant events in the field of unlawful application of anti-extremist legislation in Russia in December 2023. Rulemaking In December, the State Duma adopted, the Federation Council approved, and the President signed two laws amending a number of articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code.

On December 29, 2023, the Cherdaklinsky District Court of the Ulyanovsk Region closed the proceedings in the case of “illegal missionary” due to the absence of an offense. Case under Part 5 of Art.