Russian neo-Nazis at war: The brutal minds behind the mercenary group “Rusich” Iran: Khamenei strikes (slightly) more conciliatory tones over headscarves

Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine has many supporters. A number of paramilitary, ultra-nationalist groups are also fighting alongside the Russian army. The group “Wagner” is one of the most famous. The so-called “Task Force Russitsch”, a special unit of ruthless neo-Nazis, has also sent its mercenaries to the front. But views on warfare differ.

Leading “Rusich” fighter Yevgeny “Topaz” Rasskazov has criticized Russian military strategy in clear terms, declaring the mobilization a failure and accusing the conscripts of acting. But what is behind the group that is so clearly critical? At the top is a man who became known for chopping off a puppy’s head and beating the German far-right politician.

The history of the «Task Force Rusich» begins in St. Petersburg no later than 2014. Its founder Alexei Milchakow calls up fighters for the war effort in Ukraine. He would have had relevant military training beforehand. He now leads the paramilitary unit together with Jan Petrowski, they have known each other since 2011. Both are networked with ultra-nationalist Russian organizations. t-online has followed the tracks of the ruthless mercenaries in recent years.

The brutal beginnings of the founder of Russitsch

A message on August 5, 2011 made Alexei Milchakov known throughout Russia. The then 20-year-old had circulated photos of himself and a dog’s severed head, which he let dangle by the ears in front of the camera. He had slaughtered the animal with a knife and explained that this is how you should treat mobs on the street, dogs and homeless people.

Photos of him are also circulating showing him heavily armed in military uniform in front of the flag of the paramilitary “Russian National Unity”.

Milchakow is also known to have owned guns from a young age, so he claims to have shot Antifa himself and been involved in a robbery. Today, his old social media profiles, which could prove this, have been deleted or made private. But there are screenshots. This shows that he called himself “Fritzpz88” at the time and stated, among other things, that he spoke German and Norwegian. He presented himself as a fan of Adolf Hitler and photographed himself with a swastika flag.

The National Socialist gunnut ended up in the army. It was initially quiet around him – until 2014. He himself documented how he went to war with a convoy for so-called “humanitarian aid” in the Donbass. There he fought in the “Fledermaus” battalion, the rapid reaction force of the pro-Russian separatists in the Luhansk region.

Russian media initially reported critically

In what was then Russia, his performance was immediately criticized: “A fascist and butcher from St. Petersburg went out to fight for the insurgents,” wrote Russia’s second largest daily newspaper, Moskovsky Komsomolets, in July 2014. Meanwhile, Milchakov posted his “bat .” ID with the number 1488. That too is a clear code for racism and admiration for Hitler.

He led an operation that established his reputation as ruthless brutality: in an ambush on a highway, his troops defeated a Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, also notorious for brutality, killing dozens of men. Milchakov takes no prisoners.

Co-founder Petrovsky becomes co-leader

There is a photo of Milchakov in front of a burning corpse from the fight on the highway. A second man also poses for the body. This is his comrade-in-arms Jan Petrovsky, both fighters look pleased.

Milchakov also circulated photos of a severed ear. Since then he has been considered a war criminal. On February 16, 2015, the then 24-year-old ended up on the EU sanctions list of ‘ministers’ and senior military officials from the self-proclaimed Donbass republics. “I am a Nazi. I like to cut off human ears, and not just ears. And the smell of burning human flesh is wonderful,” he says in an interview in a suit and tie.

During the operation, they carved a symbol into the face of a fallen soldier. It is the sign under which the cruel work of Milchakov and Petrovsky stands since 2014: the Kolvorat, an eight-armed Slavic swastika, the sign of “Rusich”.

Petrovsky’s nickname is “Slavic”, Milchakov calls himself “Serbian”. Tattooed on Milchakov’s forearm: “Kosovo is Serbia”. He poses next to a woman named Dragana Trikovic. She belongs to the so-called “Eurasian Movement” of the Russian fascist Alexander Dugin and maintains contacts with German AfD politicians.

Milchakov and Petrowski themselves came into direct contact with a right-wing German party: When NPD members attended a meeting in St. Petersburg called the “Russian Conservative Forum” in March 2015, the two paramilitaries featured prominently on the list of participants. Milchakov said: “If Hitler had died in 1939 and if the Soviet Union had not lost so many people because of him, he would be one of the best leaders.”

Almost all high-ranking neo-Nazis had their picture taken with them. The head of the NDP, Udo Voigt, did not come, but two other party friends at the time, Karl Richter and Jens Pühse, did. They have different views today: Richter has since left the NPD, which he considers not radical enough, and took the stage at a pro-Russian demonstration in September. Pühse clearly distanced himself from the Russian offensive war and called for solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

After that, little was heard from the “Rusich” fighters: from the summer of 2015, they stopped fighting in the Donbass. Petrovsky moved to Norway and got involved in the Sons of Odin scene. This militia from the neo-Nazi scene is international. Among the German branch were a number of men who also made headlines: as suspected terrorists of ‘Group S’. they are in court in Stuttgart. However, Petrovsky got in trouble with the authorities in Norway and was arrested in October 2016 and deported to Russia.

Training for Putin’s youth army

Milchakov remained active in his Russian homeland and in Belarus and was the focus of the state security service UKZS, which acts in Russia as part of the FSB against extremists and members of the opposition. UKZS troops arrested organizers of training camps where Milchakov had trained youths. The authorities took action against the fact that 12 to 18 year olds should be taught unsupervised in camps to “destroy enemies effectively”. Milchakov remained untouched. In the meantime, Putin himself has established a youth army by decree, “Junarmiya”, which is intended to enthuse young people for the army. Your instructor: Milchakov.

According to US information, before he was wounded during a deployment in the Donbass in the spring, his death was even falsely reported from Syria: “Rusich” had fought against the IS with “Wagner” mercenaries, including near Palmyra . Milchakov sent a photo of life from a Russian train. He and his people apparently remained on the radar of the German secret service. In May 2022, the BND made headlines worldwide that neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine were involved in the war on the Russian side.

Symbol appears in Berlin

Security services have taken note of posted photos from Berlin: “Rusitsch on Tour”. Alleged supporters had been photographed wearing the “Task Force” badge in several places. The photos from the German capital were taken against the backdrop of the Brandenburger Tor and the Siegessäule. It is said that there is no particular danger. Supporters of the so-called “Islamic State” had also made propaganda in this way from various places in Germany. There are no investigations by the Berlin police: displaying the symbol is not an offence.

However, the photos may also be intended as an attempted threat: “Rusitsch” has shown increasing interest in the West in recent months. There was a call from the mercenaries in the Telegram channel to provide them with information about troop movements, depots and border posts from the Baltic States. It is information that the Russian secret service should really have. Experts told the British Guardian that this was a sign that the neo-Nazi forces were becoming increasingly independent from the Russian state. The statement traces back to “Rusich” fighter Topaz and his telegram posting: dissatisfaction with strategy and actions in the war against Ukraine.

(cpf)