German right-wing extremists are receiving paramilitary training in St. Petersburg, Russia, according to new report from news magazine Focus. Who is running the training, and what do we know about the participants?
Participating in paramilitary training is legal in Russia. Such training takes place under the protective umbrella of DOSAAF (Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Navy), an organization whose founding dates back to the days of the Soviet Union. The actual training, in which Germans reportedly participated, is provided by a club appearing under two different names: “Rezerv” or “Partizan.”
It takes place at a military facility on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Until 2018, “Partizan” and its members were listed on the website of St. Petersburg’s municipal office as a vigilante group in the Vyborg district. “That was prior to my taking office,” a district representative told DW when asked about the matter.
Russia in the past has served as a meeting point for right-wing populists and radicals from around Europe. In 2015, St. Petersburg hosted the “International Russian Conservative Forum.” Participants included the former chairman of the German extreme-right National Democratic Party (NPD), Udo Voigt, as well as representatives from Italy’s extreme-right Forza Nuova party, Greece’s neo-fascist Golden Dawn party and Italy’s far-right League (Lega) party.
The training center and club organizers have very close ties to Russia’s Christian Orthodox extremists. The chairman of the club and founder of the training center is reportedly Denis Gariev, who is also one of the key figures behind the Russian Imperial Movement, or RIM, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States government in April 2020.
According to Focus magazine, some of the men are members of the Young Nationalists, the youth wing of the NPD, Germany’s oldest right-wing extremist party. As the youth wing only counts 280 members, it remains politically insignificant, although its participants are rather active when it comes to public action. The group has run would-be environmental protection campaigns, for example, in an attempt to win over young supporters.
Other participants in the paramilitary training in Russia are reportedly members of The Third Way, one of the most radical political parties in Germany. According to the Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, the party promotes a nationalist and racist ideology influenced by Nazism, and it rejects democracy. The Third Way was founded by members of a right-wing extremist association from southern Germany just as it was about to be banned by lawmakers — in Germany, the hurdles for banning a political party are much higher than those for banning a club or association.
Source: Deutsche Welle
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