More on Nashi

NEWSru.com has an interesting article on the developing and increasingly violent conflict between newly formed Kremlin puppet movement "Nashi" and the only truly activist political opposition in Russia today, Eduard Limonov's National Bolshevik Party (unlikely heroes, to be sure). I've translated it for all of y'all non-Russian-speakers who might be interested:

The NBP has asked the Prosecutor General's office to open a criminal case against the leader of "Walking Together" and "Nashi" Vasily Yakemenko
Published on 14 April 2005, 21:20

Members of the National Bolshevik Party have filed a formal request with the Prosecutor General's office demanding that a criminal case be opened against Vasily Yakemenko, leader of the "Walking Together" and "Nashi" movements. NBP leader Eduard Limonov made this statement to journalists on Thursday at a press conference at the Rosbalt news agency.

According to him, the reasons for this demand were Yakemenko's numerous statements in the press about the start of a battle with Limonov's National Bolsheviks and the subsequent аttacks on the NBP office in Moscow and on party members. "16 Nashisti [members of 'Nashi'] have already been arrested after these attacks, and we have succeeded in getting criminal charges filed," said Limonov.

NBP lawyer Vitaliy Varivoda explained that the NBP is demanding that the Prosecutor General's office file charges under Article 282 of the Criminal Code (organization of an extremist society). "It is obvious to us that the attackers all used similar methods, that all of the attacks on the NBP were organized and used instruments such as hacksaws and gas," said Varivoda. According to the lawyer, if a court eventually declares "Nashi" to be extremists, that would lead to a ban on the organization.

In an interview with Echo of Moscow [radio station], Limonov admitted that he is more interested in the role of the Kremlin, which has created all of these movements, than in Mr. Yakemenko himself. That said, the National Bolsheviks are not planning to respond to "Nashi" in kind.

Meanwhile, 46 National Bolsheviks are currently in jail, according to Eduard Limonov. This includes the NatsBols who have been charged with seizing the Health Ministry and the reception area of the presidential administration.

NPB members suspect "Nashi" of organizing at least three large-scale attacks. On January 29 at 10:00 the NBP headquarters was attacked. There were roughly 40 attackers. They arrived in a minivan; in addition there were two automobiles with tinted windows near the building which had not been seen parking there previously and which vanished right after the attack took place.

The attackers shouted nazi slogans and were armed with wooden clubs - shovel handles which had been sawed in half, from which the price tags hadn't even been removed. Two NBP members were beaten, but the attackers were unable to gain access to the headquarters, thanks to a well-organized defense. The NatsBols were able to detain five of the attackers. The militia, which arrived a bit later, took all five to the Lomonosovskoe precinct. Charges were filed against those detained under Article 213 ("hooliganism").

On March 5, a group of unidentified young people using a saw broke into the NBP's heаdquarters on Maria Ul'ianova Street. The National Bolsheviks barricaded themselves in the building, and the attackers poisoned them with gas. According to the NBP, the attackers were accompanied on this occasion by a cameraman from [state-owned] Channel One. The militia was informed of the attack, however officers did not arrive at the scene until two hours after they were called.

According to NBP press secretary Aleksandr Averin, law enforcement detained nine of the participants in the attack on the NBP's bunker. The rest of the attackers were able to escape. Also seized were six baseball bats, two crowbars, and gas cannisters.

The NBP claims that the marauders were diligently videotaping a dozen syringes and twenty bottles of vodka that they brought with them. In addition, they beat the NatsBol who was guarding the bunker, Chechen War veteran Yakov Gorbunov, with a baseball bat. He suffered a broken jaw and an injury to one of his eyes.

The NBP claims that members of the new pro-Kremlin movement "Nashi," created under the aegis of the presidential administration, were behind these incidents. Sources in the NBP told NEWSru.com that the attack itself was carried out by football hooligans from the Moscow "Gladiators" gang, hired with funds provided by "Nashi."

Recall that at one of his press conferences Vasily Yakemenko proclaimed that the main task pf "Nashi" would be to battle the "nazis," which according to him includes the NBP.

NBP member Yakov Gorbunov, a victim of the attempted storm of the NBP bunker on March 5, was attacked on April 10 in Moscow. Near Maria Ul'ianova Street, unknown persons jumped him from behind and beat him about the head with metal bars, after which they got into a nearby car
and drove off.

NBP sources believe that this was "Nashi" taking revenge for the fact that Chechen War veteran Yakov Gorbunov had testified against them regarding the recent attack on the NatsBols' bunker. As a result of his testimony, charges were filed against the participants in the March 5 attack.

This article is suspiciously one-sided, but maybe that's just because Yakemenko couldn't be bothered to comment, what with the "Nashi" launch festivities today and all. The report is worth checking out even if you can't read the Russian, as it has a great photo of Yakemenko looking rather pathetic.