So this is what happens when people keep saying – “skinhead problem? What skinhead problem?”
Now, I walk a fine line when publishing such essays, because I do not wish to contribute to russophobia. I get angry, helplessly angry, when I see Nazi slogans spray-painted in my neighbourhood, but I also have repeatedly seen my words co-opted, distorted, and used to justify all sorts of xenophobic nonsense.
At the same time, I believe that staying silent is doing a disservice to people who are quite literally dying in their fight against nazism. Those kids who are busy de-facing the nazi slogans on my street? I salute them.
Every little thing counts.
But if you’re going to read this and think “well, it’s just those barbarous Russians, what can you expect?” – here’s a preemptive fuck you. FUCK YOU.
(I often censor bad words on this blog, because they contribute to scary and depressing search hits, but whatever I’m making an exception this time.)
Natalia A. 
Ugh, how horrible. Unfortunately, no country is safe from Nazis. I am no fan of Soviet authoritarian communism, but it seems perverse to see a country that valued internationalism for 70 years (and lost more people to the Nazi war machine than any other nation) plauged by fascist idiots.
I’ve mixed it up with skinheads a time or two. They’re nothing but thugs and cowardly pack animals, and just as Hitler killed many of the thugs he used to rise to power, so these fools would be lined up and shot if there ever was a fourth reich.
However, and this is in no way intended to minimize Rukosyla’s death, the battle between fascist and antifa forces often just becomes glorified gang warfare. I am not arguing that fascism and anti-fascism are morally equivalent; I am a militant anti-fascist and my only chronological regret is that I was born too late to fight in the Spanish Civil War. But I’ve seen antifa skins and punks jump kids ten on one to kick their asses on suspicion of maybe being Nazis or hanging with Nazis. A friend related to me that he saw a guy get hospitalized in Berkely because he had a confederate flag tattoo at the wrong place. I’ve seen confrontations take place over the colors of shoelaces and braces (suspenders) because in one town red laces mean you’ve shed blood for the white race, in another they mean anti-racist (same with white or yellow laces). I am all for principled anti fascist actions, but using it as an excuse to smash faces doesn’t sit well with me, and that’s often where it ends up.
I don’t comment here often, but I applaud what you say here. I think you do a good job of drawing the line between trying to help and creating any type of phobia.
Thanks, O.
P, from what I’ve seen, Antifa attracts a very diverse crowd.
I think it often depends on location and just what sort of people come together there. There are very civilized and principled Antifa groups, and then there are completely bloodthirsty and ridiculous ones.
There was this video on YouTube that I recently watched – it’s basically two little Nazi shits mocking a gathering for Beslan remembrance, and they start harassing these two Antifa kids.
And these Antifa seem younger – but you can tell two things right away: a) they’re not afraid, and b) they’re good kids. The look on their faces is, “whatever, asshole, I’m not even going to waste my time on you.” They have dignity.
And I know that the little Nazi shits just posted the YouTube video to promote themselves, but it’s hilarious, because as far as I’m concerned, they totally promoted Antifa.
P.S. Oh, and Olga was not affiliated with any group. She just liked to dress differently.
Oh sure. And honestly, if someone shows up at a holocaust remembrance and are shooting their mouth off, and the antifa kids beat their asses, I wouldn’t really blame them (the last time I punched someone was when Lebanon was being bombed and a guy was smugly opining that “now that we’re painting their walls with their kids, maybe they’ll pay attention” in reference to Arabs). I don’t want to tar them all with the same brush, and you know more about the Russo-Ukrainian side of the movement than I do. I’ve hung out with antifa people here and in the UK and Holland (it’s a much bigger deal there) and usually it’s good people. Olga was probably good people. But I do remember things like watching a whole crowd of ARA types, some in their 20s, following around a couple of little skinhead teens, who probably weighed 100 kg between them, and hectoring them until a fight started and they beat both silly, which has hurt my reflexive respect for antifa as a movement.
note; not saying I’m proud of punching that guy (realized it might come off that way), just making the point that I understand getting angry over mocking innocent victims.
Being Russian and a Nazi?
Well i guess dumb people come in all nationalities.
Didn’t they even have Jewish Nazi’s in Israel?
I’m pretty sure i heard about it on the news.
The Nazi’s considered Russians untermenchen and here they are Russian Nazi’s.
I guess they seek there own extermination.
Being a Russian and a Nazi isn’t shocking at all…especially when you look at the historical similarities between Hitler and Stalin. If you hate Jews enough, welcome to the club. (here comes my shameless plug of Vasily Grossman’s “Life and Fate”).
When I was living in Russia, there was a flareup of violence against foreign (mostly Asian) students – kids being beat up with chains, pushed in the metro. Made me nervous, and really thankful that I didn’t stand out in a crowd.