Primorsky Partisans
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Primorsky Partisans were a group of six young men who waged a guerrilla war against the Russian police, who have long been accused of corruption, and brutality.[1] [2] From a small village in Primorsky Krai in Russia's far east they had long had encounters with the police they described as brutal, and degrading. The group decided on a violent solution to the appalling conditions with the police and waged a campaign against them including shooting traffic policemen, raiding a police station, and stabbing a police officer to death. The police began a large scale man hunt and the Partisans were tracked down to a flat on the Chinese border. Before the shoot out began they posted a video on youtube describing their motives. In the shootout two were killed in a shoot out, and the rest were arrested and sentenced. This created a storm of controversy in Russia, as many Russians sympathized with the partisans, and resented the police. In a non-scientific poll by the popular radio station Echo of Moscow, 75% of responders said they viewed the Partisans as Robin Hoods, and 66% stated they would shelter the partisans if given the chance. [3]
Members
- Aleksandr Kovtun (Russian: Александр Ковтун) leader of the group
- Andrei Sukhorada (Russian: Андрей Сухорада, July 25, 1987 - June 11, 2010) former member of National Bolshevik Party.[4] On March 3, 2004, Sukhorada was arrested when police raided a group of National Bolsheviks who were staging an occupation of the United Russia Party HQ in Moscow[5][6]
- Aleksandr Sladkikh (Russian: Александр Сладких, September 18, 1989 - June 11, 2010)
- Vladimir Ilyutikov (Russian: Владимир Илютиков)
- Roman Savchenko (Russian: Роман Савченко)
- Maksim Kirilov (Russian: Максим Кириллов)
Motivation
On October 9, 2010, a 13-minute video entitled “The Last Interview of the Primorsky Krai Guerrillas” was released on YouTube. In the video the partizans of the group declared a guerrilla war against corruption and Russian Militsiya.[7][8] The video was removed from the YouTube server several times due to complaints.
Reaction
A poll of listeners to the Echo of Moscow radio station indicated that 60-75 percent of listeners sympathised with the Primorsky partisans and would offer them help.[9][10]
References
- ↑ Politkovskaya, Anna; translated by Arch Tait (2004). Putin's Russia. Harvill. ISBN 0-8050-7930-0.
- ↑ Judah, Ben (2003). Fragile Empire
- ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11829793
- ↑ Один из приморских партизан был нацболом
- ↑ Андрей Сухорада
- ↑ Захват общественной приемной партии "Единая Россия"
- ↑ Последнее видеообращение «приморских партизан» появилось в интернете
- ↑ Russia: New Video from Primorsky Krai Guerrillas
- ↑ The Primorsky Partisans
- ↑ Если члены "приморской группы" обратятся к Вам за помощью, поможете ли Вы?
External links
- The Last Interview of the Primorsky Partizans on YouTube
- Why Russians backed anti-police rage - article on BBC
- CC: The Primorsky Partisans 25 Nov 10
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
- Crossing Continents: The Primorsky Partisans
- Interview with artist Josef Zacek at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) 14 September 2011