In January, the Father Frost against Putin-festival was organized in Helsinki for the ninth time. The first festival was organized in 2014, but there were no festivals in 2021 and 2022 due to border closures and Covid.
An evening of solidarity with veg prisoners from Russia will take place on May 3 at 18.00 in Helsinki (Ulrika, Leppäsuonkatu 11).
Late last year, opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who had been sentenced to 19 years in prison for a number of trumped-up cases, was sent to a special regime penal colony in the settlement of Kharp in the Far North, one of the most hard-to-reach colonies. This region colonies are famous for its harsh regime and torture of prisoners.
Translation from the site freedomnews.org.uk. Original in Russian here.
~ NinaT
The compilation of music in support of prisoners. In 2022, punks and anti-fascists from Siberia and the Urals were tortured by police to fabricate a case. They are accused of terrorism, but they did not use any violence. Confessions were extracted with torture of electric shocks, strangulation with a bag, beatings and threats of rape with a mop. Antifascists face huge prison sentences
Alongside the general decline in attention to the war in Ukraine, a so-called "internationalist" position has been visible in the anarchist milleu in Europe. Basically, it consists of two points: the first rests on the equalization of the forces of the aggressor and the invaded country, presenting this conflict as yet another capitalist war in which one cannot take sides; and the second is based on the view that NATO wages war against Russia, in which Ukraine is seen mainly as an opportunity for Western countries to fight Russia at the expense of Ukrainian lives.
On April 19, Dmitry Petrov, a Russian anarchist fighting on the side of Ukraine, died in battle near Bakhmut.
For almost twenty years, Dima contributed immensely to the anarchist movement in Russia and Ukraine. Over the last ten years, we had only met once and our paths rarely crossed, so he may have altered his views on some questions. But, as his final message shows, in many ways, he remained unchanged.
Last September, some Italian anarchists published a collective letter criticising Ukrainian anarchists for defending themselves and their movement against Russian imperialist aggression.
Recently, an alleged Palestinian anarchist organization ““Fauda”” (“Chaos” – a name coinciding with Netflix’s popular series) has gained popularity among Western leftist activists. This happened thanks to “Fauda’s” intense activity on Internet.
The 10th anniversary of “Father Frost against Putin” festival is approaching, so it is time for a throwback to what happened last January. Then the festival was held for the first time in three years. Initially the border was closed by Covid, then by the war in Ukraine, but in the end it was decided to continue organizing the festival in Helsinki, just under new conditions.
Where: Lepakkomies, Helsinginkatu 1
Entry €12 (standard) or €20 (support price)
Timetable:
8 PM Doors
8.30 Pavel Semchenko:
"10 reasons to become a dictator", audiovisual performance
8:45 Cave Moss
Laid-back but energetic alternative rock from Helsinki
Aatu Kovanen : guitar & vocals
Iikka Puolakka : bass & vocals
Ahti Kulo : synths, percussions and vocals
Kalle Kauranen : drums
9:30 Asko Keränen
We call on all those who are not indifferent to support the fundraising campaign to pay for the lawyers of Roman and other defendants of the "Tyumen case". Today, 1st of January is the last day you may donate!
Six anarchists from Russia have been held in pre-trial detention for a year on spurious charges of creating a "terrorist community". According to Russian law, our comrades face a total of 5 to 15 years of imprisonment for the charged articles, and 15 to 30 years of life imprisonment for organizing or leading a "terrorist community". The main proof of guilt is a confession given under torture.
The last day of the fundraising campaign for Tyumen case is January 1st. Unless goal is reached, none of the money is delivered for our comrades.
In Father Frost against Putin -festival, Helsinki 13th of January 2023 7:30 at Oranssi (Kaasutehtaankatu 1, building 11).
We will screen the movie about participants of anti-fascist and anarchist groups during the anti-Putin protests of 2011-2012.
Nikita is an anti-fascist from Surgut, a straight-A student and a vegetarian, very intelligent and always faithful to principles. Nick dreams of becoming a surgeon, and studied at Surgut University, but dropped out because of the inability of the university to organize the educational process, because of bureaucratic delays and imperfections of the education system, which he could not put up with. He studied a thousand books on physiology, history, politics, and art. Nick initiated the creation of a public libertarian library, his first non-profit educational project.
Festival program is now published.
Father Frost against Putin -festival was organised first time 10 years ago. From 2014 to 2020 festival was organised seven times, and Russian grassroots organisations told about their activities and networked between each other.
The anarchist Ruslan Siddiqui is accused of causing an explosion, on a railway used to transport military equipment and fuel to the Russian army in Ukraine. The result was the derailment of 19 carriages of a goods train in the Ryazan region. There were no casualties, although the driver’s assistant sustained non-serious injuries. Russian Railways assessed the damage at €300.000. Ruslan has been charged with committing a terrorist act, and possession of explosive material.
Danil is a convinced anti-fascist from Yekaterinburg, a loving husband and devoted friend, the soul of any company. He is one of the best veterinarians in Yekaterinburg, specializing as an orthopedic surgeon. Before his arrest, he worked in two veterinary clinics. Being a leading specialist in veterinary surgery, he constantly attended scientific conferences, improved his qualifications in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and mastered modern technologies in surgery and endoscopy. Danil trained veterinary specialists in Surgut.
Short presentation of the Tyumen case, from a benefit event in Helsinki 6th of October 2023.
Support the fundraising drive of Firefund for the for the lawyers of the defendants in the "Tyumen case". Families and relatives will have to pay for the participation of lawyers in these sessions and they will not be able to cope without you! Less that two weeks are left to reach the fundraising goal, which is still very far.
Presentation in Apertus squat of Agrinion, Greece, 21 of June 2025. Presentation in English, translation to Greek. Ελληνική περίληψη μετά το αγγλικό κείμενο του ιστολογίου. Listen on Spotify Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, domestic anti-war...
Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin outlined five goals for his war: Ukraine’s non-alignment with NATO; a change in Ukraine’s government; a severe limitation of Ukraine’s defence capacity; the seizure of Ukrainian territory (with international recognition...