In August 2026, we became aware of four individuals who were victims of hate crimes. One of the victims was a seven-year-old Tuvan boy; a criminal case was opened, but the hate motive was not taken into account as an aggravating circumstance. We learned of some of the incidents from reports published in far-right Telegram channels. One of the video compilations was posted on behalf of the well-known neo-Nazi NS/WP network.
One of the most notable events of the month was a mass brawl involving far-right teenagers in central Chelyabinsk. At least four people were injured in the fight; an 18-year-old man was hospitalized with stab wounds and burns caused by a flare gun.
Also noteworthy was an incident in Moscow in which a woman, after causing a traffic accident, shouted xenophobic insults at the other women involved and demanded that one of them remove her Muslim headscarf.
In total, since the beginning of the year, we have learned of 117 violent hate crimes, including two murders.
We learned of three acts of xenophobic vandalism committed in August. In Samara, an offender damaged a menorah installed to mark the celebration of Hanukkah. In Yeysk, a minor burned several cars after first painting some prohibited symbols on them. Finally, a video of arson of a shawarma kiosk appeared in the aforementioned far-right Telegram channels. In total, we have recorded 20 acts of xenophobic vandalism committed since the beginning of the year.
Russian nationalists reacted strongly to the explosion that occurred on August 1, 2026 outside the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow and, according to various unofficial reports, killed between three and five people and injured more than 20. Right-wing Telegram channels, including Mnogonatsional, the “Russian Community”, and Ivan Otrakovsky, immediately began claiming that the female suicide bomber was a native of Central Asia who “could quite possibly have been used as a ‘human drone’ by the special services of the Kyiv regime”.
In August, the “Russian Community”, Russian Druzhina, and Northern Man carried out their regular vigilante raids. We recorded an average of seven anti-migrant raids per week.
In addition, the “Russian Community”, together with Cossacks, once again actively obstructed the annual reading of the names of victims of Stalinist repression in Karelia at the Sandarmokh memorial cemetery.
In August, members of the organization were also linked to at least two criminal incidents covered in the news.
Between August 15 and 23, the “Movement of Nationalists”, in some cities together with the RFO “Pamyat”, held its traditional “Days of Heroes”, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the 1920–1921 Tambov anti-Bolshevik uprising. The events, which involved installing improvised memorials featuring portraits of White Army heroes, took place in seven Russian regions, as well as in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia.
We are aware of only one person convicted in August for an ideologically motivated violent crime. In Anapa, an 18-year-old local was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a knife attack on a man and a woman. We also learned of a criminal case opened in August in Stavropol Krai over a xenophobic attack and damage to cars.
In total, we are aware of 18 sentences handed down so far this year against 44 people for violent hate crimes.
We are not aware of any convictions handed down in August for vandalism motivated by ethnic or religious hatred. However, we learned of one criminal case opened for such an offence, concerning the aforementioned damaged menorah. In total, we know of five such convictions against seven people since the beginning of the year.
We address prosecution under other provisions of anti-extremism legislation in a separate review.
