On Russia's Ultra-Nationalist Movement

Via Vocativ:

Russia’s numerous and varied ultra-nationalists groups have flourished since the collapse of the Soviet Union. They include groups who are anti-gay, anti-immigrant and pro-Hitler - and they have an enormous online following. Vocativ caught up with some of them at the annual “Russia March” in Moscow earlier this month.

NOTE: Some images are not safe for work.

1999 Flashback: LA Gay Men's Chorus Performs We Shall Overcome In Moscow

The Los Angeles Gay Men's Chorus today posted the below 1999 concert footage with some recent and disturbing images from Russia added. Above is infamous and recently apprehended Russian gay-basher Maxim Martsenkevich.

One of the largest gatherings of LGBT people in Russian history occurred when the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles performed in Moscow in 1999. Here's the climax of that landmark event in Tchaikovsky Hall, where tears flowed on both sides of the footlights. Watch the LGBT communities from Russia and the US unite for the first time, holding hands without fear of oppression or reprisal. Our message to the world: We Shall Overcome."

Definitely watch this.

RUSSIA: Gay-Basher In Custody After Being Deported By Cuban Authorities

Infamous gay-basher Maxim Martsinkevich is today in the custody of Russian police after fleeing to Cuba, where local authorities promptly deported him on the basis of fugitive warrants filed with Interpol by Russia and Ukraine. Via LGBTQ Nation:

A spokesperson for the Russian Federal Security services told LGBTQ Nation that Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich, also known by his street nickname “Tesak” (or, the “Cleaver”) arrived at the Russian capital’s Sheremetyevo Airport after a direct flight from Havana, and was immediately detained by Russian law enforcement. Martsinkevich had been formally charged and arrested in absentia on Dec. 13, 2013, by Moscow’s Kuntsevskiy court. He is being held on charges of committing a crime under Art. 282 of the Russian Criminal Code – incitement of hatred or enmity and human dignity with violence – in connection with videos that his anti-gay Russian group “Occupy Pedophilia” had posted online. Martsinkevich fled Russia in November to the Ukraine, where he allegedly attacked and physically abused a former contestant of the Ukrainian franchise of the British talent competition, “The X Factor.” Yuvlena Frolyak, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Sevastopol, told LGBTQ Nation that her office had also issued an arrest warrant based on the criminal complaint filed by the victim.

Martsinkevich reportedly faces only three to five years in prison.

CUBA: Cops Arrest Gay-Bashing Russian Fugitive Maxim Martsinkevich

Fugitive Russian gay-basher Maxim Martsinkevich was arrested in Cuba today. Note that the following report is from the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Russia was informed by Cuban police of the arrest of Maxim Martsinkevich through Interpol, the Russian Interior Ministry said in a statement. More widely known under his nickname of Tesak, or machete, Martsinkevich was arrested in absentia by a Russian court last month on extremism charges. Martsinkevich said during a January 8 interview that the criminal charges against him were orchestrated by Russia’s “pedo-lobby,” and that he did not intend to return to Russia, according to Russian tabloid Life News that has close links to the security services. The details of Martsinkevich's extradition were currently being finalized, Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement Saturday. In a January 9 post on his website, Martsinkevich wrote that he had flown to Cuba from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, via the German city of Frankfurt. In 2011, Martsinkevich founded the Occupy Pedophile vigilante group, which lured men to abusive meetings with false promises of sex with minors. The encounters were recorded and then posted online. The group was also reported to target gay men, who were subjected to similar abusive treatment.

The above-linked report notes that Martsinkevich, who is also wanted by Ukrainian authorities, has over 130,000 subscribers on the Russian social media site Vkontakte. For more about his history of brutal attacks on gay men, read my earlier reports. (Tipped by multiple JMG readers)

Fugitive Russian Gay-Basher Maxim Martsinkevich Has Fled To Cuba

Wanted by Russian and Ukrainian authorities for brutally attacking and humiliating gay men and teenagers, infamous Russian gay-basher Maxim "The Cleaver" Martsinkevich has fled to Cuba. Vocativ reports:

According to posts on Martsinkevich’s VKontakte social networking page, he was in Cuba as early as December 10. According to the visa agreement between Russia and Cuba, Russians are allowed to stay without a visa for 30 days. That means he either needs to get a visa now, stay illegally or leave. And he says he doesn’t have the money to fly home. In a post on his blog today, he talks about flying from Kiev to Havana via Frankfurt, and expounds on the lack of virtues of the German airport. Martsinkevich does not find German women attractive. He says nothing about his visa situation or future travel plans.

Vocative translates from Martsinkevich's blog post:

Attention! Official dispatch from Freedom Island (i.e. Cuba)! An offer regarding the investigation and trial. The case against me is very unusual. There are no victims. No damages. The investigation was done by incompetents. The crimes were committed virtually. I was charged without being present. I was arrested in absentia. Contrary to Interpol statutes, there has been an international arrest warrant issued in my name. I do not recognize my guilt. I am currently in Latin America and do not have the money to return to Russia. Given the above and thinking logically, I ask the following: To hold the questioning and trial in the open for the mass media to observe, with me being present via Skype. In case of conviction, I offer to serve the prison term virtually, by placing an avatar behind bars for the amount of time designated by the court. That would be fair and just, and would help bring about legal innovation. If you agree, repost this message. Sincerely, Maxim Martsinkevich.

Read Vovativ's full report.

RELATED: Last month I reported on Martsinkevich's vicious attack on a contestant from Ukraine's version of American Idol.

REPORT: Russian Neo-Nazis Attack Gay Contestant On Ukrainian X-Factor Show

According to a report filed by Spectrum Human Rights, the Russian anti-gay and neo-Nazi group Occupy Pedophilia has posted a video that shows the torture and humiliation of Alexander Bohun, who recently appeared on Ukraine's version of X Factor.  A Russian news site reports that Bohun had responded to a personal ad posted on the social media site VK, only to find the thugs waiting from him.  From a translation of the article:

One of the participants of the show X Factor Alexander Bohun accused the founder of the movement “Occupy Pedophilia”, Maxim Martsenkevich (“Cleaver” or “Slasher”), to have beaten him. For this reason, the Department of the Interior Ministry of the Leninsky District in Sebastopol (Crimea), has opened a criminal investigation into the matter, reports TSN. According to Alexander Bohun, Martsenkevich has beaten him repeatedly, intimidated him by violence and forced him to make a series of false statements in front of the camera. “I was referred to as “pedophile” illegally, mocked, and forced to admit actions and desires that I have not committed in any circumstances, and I had to admit all that publicly”, he said.

The counsel of the star, Elena Kherson, said that Martsenkevich broke the law, accusing a man of a crime without any investigation or trial. "There is no evidence of the involvement of Alexander Bohun in the crime of which 'Slasher' accused him," she said. "And most importantly, he is the victim." In addition, she said she wanted to lift the ban on dissemination of the video where Alexander Bohun admitted he was a pedophile. In those shoots, we can see Martsenkevich shaving the head of the singer, painting it with a rainbow marker, making him drink a cup of urine and pouring it in a few gallons on his head.”

Last month Martsenkevich reportedly fled Russia after being charged with inciting ethnic and social hatred for crimes exactly like those in today's report. A one-minute clip of the attack on Bohun can be seen here. Below is what appears to be Bohun's publicity shot from X Factor.

RELATED: According to a Russian-language entry on Wikipedia, Martsenkevich has twice been imprisoned for inciting racial hatred. He completed a three year sentence last year.  Google Image has many photos of Martsenkevich flexing his muscles and torturing young men.