Russian Anarchists on the Wagner Mutiny

From CrimethInc.

Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists and Movement of Irkutsk Anarchists

Early on June 24, Vladimir Putin addressed Russia about the unfolding rebellion of the Wagner private military company, saying that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion is “pushing the country toward anarchy and fratricide.”

This is a misuse of words. Fratricide has long been the rule under Putin. Torturing and assassinating dissidents was fratricide. Invading Ukraine was fratricide. Both the Wagner company and the Russian military have long been involved in fratricide. Anarchy is the opposite of fratricide: it is the condition that prevails when people do not compete to rule each other. Totalitarianism always leads to bloody conflicts over power.

Looking at the situation in Russia, one can’t help but think of the civil war that erupted in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces earlier this year. Looking to suppress powerful social movements for liberation, the government equipped the mercenaries of the Rapid Support Forces, only to end up fighting with them for control of the country.

This sort of widespread violence is the inevitable end result of militarization. As governments and corporations rely more and more on brute force to suppress social unrest, channeling more and more resources towards police and private security, they are creating the conditions for horrific civil wars on an ever-widening scale. The civil strife that is breaking out in Sudan and Russia today may well break out elsewhere tomorrow if we do not succeed in shifting the course of our society on a global scale.1

Here, we have hurriedly translated two statements from Russian anarchist groups. Both, of necessity, are underground groups: one is based in Siberia, and the other is the Anarcho-Communist Combat Organization, which we interviewed last year.

Movement of Irkutsk Anarchists

Published in Russian here.

In the current situation around the Wagner mutiny, there is no side we can choose but ourselves.

The same can be said for the large part of the population—neither the Putin regime nor those competing with it for authority will act in the interests of all the peoples in Russia.

At the moment, we can prepare for a variety of possible outcomes. One cannot rule out the possibility that people’s self-defense groups, whose main task in a scenario of civil war inside the country might be organizing the safety of the people, as well as the logistical networking for providing food and basic necessities. No one should be completely defenseless against the mercenary military formations and the Russian army, and one of the main weapons available to us all is solidarity and mutual aid.

At the same time, we should think about what to do if the current state authority collapses in the city of Irkutsk or in the entire Irkutsk region.

We advocate for organizing open popular councils, assemblies, and forums on all the most important issues of public life, including economy, provisioning, the conservation of nature, human rights, self-defense, education, and city services. In all of these structures, we would like to see independent committees of women and Indigenous peoples.2

In the meantime, we are watching the situation unfold. Putin is already talking on the television, saying that he fears the destruction of the state system and the onset of “anarchy”! As anarchists, we can say that the dictator is rightly afraid of anarchy: after all, it implies that his power and the idea of “the Russian world” will cease to exist, and that instead, society will begin to function according to the principles of self-government, decentralization, and federalism.

We believe that anarchy is still quite a long way off in this country. But we are not powerless in the current situation; we can prepare ourselves for anything that may happen and watch carefully to see if there will be a moment that will be favorable to all those here who yearn for freedom, tired of Putin’s regime. We would like all who consider this to think about what they would do in such case, and team up with others who can be trusted and relied upon.

This is the least and most basic thing that can be done right now.


Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists

Published in Russian here.

We have indeed moved into a new phase of this turning point in history. It has long been clear that those at the top of the power structure would begin to gnaw at each other soon; it was only a matter of time.

Now, the main task of the anarchist and liberation movements both in Russia and abroad is to consolidate the available forces, to acquire what is needed, to analyze the moment, to establish communication channels that have fallen apart, and to be ready to act.

We do not flatter ourselves: the onset of this moment could take some time. From the February revolution (during which the generals participated in removing the Tsar) to the October revolution, nine months passed. From the Kornilov rebellion to October, two months.

But one thing is clear. First, the moment of direct armed confrontation is nearer than ever before. Second, neither the Putin regime nor Prigozhinsky are our friends. In this fight between two cannibals, anarchists should stay away—let them bleed each other as much as possible. That way, they won’t be able to disturb people in the future.

But this period of waiting for the right moment should be spent to our benefit. And all the time, at every moment—to prepare and increase your readiness to act—but also to analyze the situation every moment, to be ready to start acting, leaving everything behind, even if the readiness is insufficient. Because even worse than starting early, rushing ahead of the moment, is to oversleep the moment when you could turn the story in the right direction.

Also, we would like to say something on the topic of calls to attack military registration and enlistment offices and other government buildings right now.

We strongly disagree with this call. Right now, the enemy is preparing to repel an attack—not from partisans, but from mutineers with weapons. Attacking such objects right now means wasting your resources, practically attacking the fortified fortresses of the enemy with bare hands.

The guerrilla must strike where the empire is vulnerable, not where the armor is. Strike where the enemy is not waiting. Therefore, right now, it is possible to attack objects far from cities. The enemy has gathered forces all together for defense? That means he has exposed the distant frontiers and access roads. Attack gas and oil pipelines, attack railroad tracks leading to military facilities (but far from them), attack power lines and water pipes that feed police and military bases. But not the objects themselves, where the enemy is waiting.

Or, if the risk is too great—spend this time preparing for an armed uprising.

A lively and combat-ready partisan who can take part in future confrontations is now a hundred times more important than a partisan who threw an improvised munition at a cop and was shot dead by a stressed out cop.

And don’t forget the Counter-Terrorist Operation regime.3 Even if you decide not to attack a cop, but a power line 5 kilometers away, the risks of being caught on the way under the CTO regime increase many times over. Evaluate sensibly and do not take unnecessary risks.

  1. In retrospect, the events of January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC may give us the slightest foretaste of what a conflict pitting far-right police officers and soldiers against the United States government might look like. 

  2. The region known as Irkutsk is located in Southeastern Siberia and is home to several Indigenous peoples; the history of the colonization of Siberia roughly parallels the timeline and events of the colonization of the so-called Americas. 

  3. In Moscow, the Moscow region, and the Voronezh region, the government introduced a Counter-Terrorist Operation regime on June 24 in response to the mutiny of Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner company. 

There are 15 Comments

Now USA Anarchists can support Ukraine Nazis and Russian Nazis at the same time

"Anarchy is...the condition that prevails when people do not compete to rule each other"

So, anarchy is liberalism? Cool story

How do you figure that? Do anarchists compete to rule one another?

Please show your work. C-

not to mention the other part?! no rulers under liberalism, that's hilarious

the liberal ruler is just a landlord or maybe a tech bro who isn't ... ya know, the elon or peter thiel type

I'm sure everyone there is glad crimethinc came out of the woodwork to advocate for their ideas. I bet they're like "thank goodness for crimethinc turning on NPR to get the lowdown of the situation and presenting generic ideas to advocate."

Reading this is like summoning the ghost of murray bookchin...with all his various progressive counsels and whatnot. Its really shocking to me that david graeber was the only anarcho-leftist to fully oppose bureaucracy.

Do popular anarchist groups desperately need to perpetuate the white savior complex or something? Maybe anarchists should ban participants over 25 so the rest of us can stretch our legs and avoid participating in theoretical military conflicts.

Bring a ouji board, or leave me out of wars. Maybe the enemy "will come knocking on my door", but i seriously doubt it.

calvin .. i don't really expect you to answer or want you to because you're a gibbering troll but i'll ask the question anyway for fun

why would a "white savior" critique apply to anything written here? do you even notice when your ravings miss the mark by an entire hemisphere of the planet? like, even if you were firing wildly from up on the international space station, it would be hard to miss by that much.

That a fair critique given the type of floor space the anti-white supremacists get here.

Yes, the "white" thing once again misses the mark because thats more to the west of this foreign land that crime thinc wants to assert their dominance. Everything about the article says "white mans burden" to me, sorry if that seems fascist or isolationist to you, but i obviously cant control how you troll! Thats what the US militaries internet is all about! Thanks for beating me with superior worldlyness and neck beards.

So are you trying to say that establishing communist worker counsels is not a form dominance? Im pretty sure "dominance works" by making yourself a presense...or is this more bad faith trolling on your part, where you just deny everything and fail to engage with the subject matter?

If you haven't been paying attention, a lot of anarchists have been calling some sort of miltary presense in response to russia.

Is dominance then some uniquely right wing property of the bad guys...that can only be wielded by white people like me? If thats the case, then i am very lucky, and you should be jealous!

"We advocate for organizing open popular councils, assemblies, and forums on all the most important issues of public life, including economy, provisioning, the conservation of nature, human rights, self-defense, education, and city services. In all of these structures, we would like to see independent committees of women and Indigenous peoples."

And yes:

-russians are white people, LMFAO. Have you ever seen a russian before?! Also, the colonial aspirations of Russia are often couched in terms of "liberation".

-the basis for the whole article above is fantasy role playing, There's no evidence that the Wagner rebellion will give way to any of these disaster scenarios...if the russian military continues being naughty, then the implications are much wider and less predictable. Most likely, this self-thwarted coupe has good implications for people who want the Ukraine war to end.

The implications for anarchists are uncertain. People in Irkutsk are mad about the Ukraine war, and so are MANY other russians. Crimethinc is now reminding me again of all those americans who were saying that the US was under threat of civil war because of all the trump administration chaos. I was pointed out the ridiculous hyperbole then, and I am doing so again now.

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