In the fall of 2022, representatives of the new Atesh movement announced that Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars were their backbone. They also reported that they allegedly focus their attention on the national republics. The organization claimed that it had autonomous cells in Tatarstan, Siberia, Crimea. They started talking about the radical movement again after the blowing up of the car of the writer and co-chairman of the Just Russia – Patriots – For Truth party Zakhar Prilepin. The organization said it takes responsibility for the incident.
What kind of incidents can the organization be involved in?
“Crimea is a sacred place for the Atesh movement. And it was there that our most combat-ready cells were deployed, ”the movement’s Telegram channel says.
In December 2022, Russian media wrote that Atesh claimed responsibility for a fire in one of the barracks in Crimea. Journalists noted that two servicemen were injured as a result of the incident.
In October last year, the Atesh movement stated that it was involved in the shooting at the firing range near Belgorod. As the Russian media wrote with reference to the Ministry of Defense, the attackers fired small arms at the personnel of the unit. As a result, 11 people died, and 15 victims were taken to the hospital with injuries of varying severity.
In addition, the organization reported on less harmless actions. For example, she published a photo of a car on which the name of the movement was spray-painted. As a target, a car with the symbols of the CBO was chosen.
Undermining Prilepin’s car
In January 2023, the Atesh organization claimed to have sent out an “order” for Zakhar Prilepin to its supporters. They claimed to have sent “more than five thousand SMS messages to agents and the Russian military.”
On May 6, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, an Audi Q7, which Prilepin was driving, went off with an explosive device attached to the bottom of the car. Prilepin was conscious after the explosion and was handed over to the doctors. Its driver is dead.
Representatives of the movement reported that they had been “hunting” for the writer since the beginning of the year and “got him”.
Later, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that they had detained the first suspect in the attempt on Prilepin. It turned out to be a 30-year-old resident of the Nizhny Novgorod region, who recently received Russian citizenship.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported that they opened a criminal case. The incident was classified as a terrorist attack.