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Russia\u2019s largest nationalist organization, Russkaya Obshchina \u2014 whose members target migrants and LGBTQ+ people \u2014 is\u00a0funded by\u00a0foundations linked to\u00a0pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Mikheyev and billionaire Igor Khudokormov. journalists reached that conclusion after reviewing the organization\u2019s financial documents. Russkaya Obshchina\u2019s representatives have repeatedly said it\u00a0operates exclusively on\u00a0donations from its members.<\/p>\n
Khudokormov owns the Prodimeks agricultural holding. Forbes Russia estimates<\/a> his net worth at\u00a0$1.7 billion, placing him 90th on\u00a0its list of\u00a0Russian billionaires.<\/p>\n Known as\u00a0the \u201csugar king,\u201d Khudokormov is\u00a0considered one of\u00a0Russia\u2019s largest landowners and rarely appears in\u00a0public. \u201cHe\u00a0is\u00a0widely believed to\u00a0be\u00a0within the sphere of\u00a0influence of\u00a0Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, the son of\u00a0former Federal Security Service director ,\u201d journalist Amalia Zatari says in\u00a0the BBC documentary.<\/p>\n Sergei Mikheyev, whose foundation also finances Russkaya Obshchina, is\u00a0a\u00a0political analyst and propagandist who appears regularly on\u00a0national television channels. \u201cHe\u00a0has reportedly been closely linked to\u00a0the Kremlin and carried out assignments for Russian intelligence services abroad,\u201d the documentary states.<\/p>\n The BBC investigation also documents the experiences of\u00a0people targeted by\u00a0Russkaya Obshchina:<\/p>\n Russkaya Obshchina was founded in\u00a02020 and describes itself as\u00a0an\u00a0environment \u201cfor uniting Russian people on\u00a0the principle of\u00a0mutual aid.\u201d It\u00a0now has more than a\u00a0hundred regional and city chapters across Russia.<\/p>\n Unlike other nationalist organizations, Russkaya Obshchina fully supports the Russian government. It\u00a0backs the war in\u00a0Ukraine, cooperates with law enforcement and the Russian Orthodox Church, and its members file \u201cdenunciations\u201d en\u00a0masse. Between 2023 and 2025, BBC journalists found, Russkaya Obshchina took part in\u00a0more than 900 raids against migrants and people it\u00a0deemed to\u00a0have \u201cuntraditional values\u201d \u2014 300 of\u00a0them conducted jointly with law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n Independent journalists have identified<\/a> the founders of\u00a0Russkaya Obshchina as\u00a0former Omsk City Council deputy speaker Andrei Tkachuk, former coordinator of\u00a0the anti-abortion movement Za\u00a0Zhizn! (\u201cFor Life!\u201d) Yevgeny Chesnokov, and Spas television channel host Andrei Afanasyev.<\/p>\n Meduza has reported<\/a> that Russkaya Obshchina does not merely coordinate attacks on\u00a0migrants with law enforcement \u2014 it\u00a0also carries out their assignments. The organization was likely created under the supervision of\u00a0the Federal Security Service (FSB).<\/p>\n At\u00a0Meduza, we\u00a0are committed to\u00a0transparency about our use of\u00a0artificial intelligence in\u00a0the newsroom. The story you\u2019re reading was written by\u00a0one of\u00a0our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an\u00a0AI\u00a0model configured to\u00a0follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is\u00a0the result of\u00a0extensive testing and refinements to\u00a0ensure our English-language coverage is\u00a0timely and accurate. A\u00a0Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.<\/p>\n If\u00a0you find any errors in\u00a0this translation, please contact us\u00a0at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n