American neo-Nazis team up with the Kremlin, plan terrorist attacks on Ukraine
An American neo-Nazi group that calls itself the Base, considered a terrorist organization by governments worldwide, is calling on its followers to attack infrastructure and political targets in Ukraine. Experts on security say this could be a component of the effort by Russia to sabotage Ukraine on a wider scale, or even an operation planned by Russian secret services.
The prestigious British daily The Guardian has reported on this development. The Base, established in 2018, became the target of an intensive investigation by the FBI that led to several arrests.
The Base is currently freely active abroad because administrative moves by US President Donald Trump have significantly limited federal investigations of far-right, neo-Nazi groups.
Hybrid war and an extremist network with Russian backing
The Base’s leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former member of US special forces, lives in St. Petersburg in Russia. His Russian headquarters and unclear financing give rise to the suspicion that he is connected to Russian secret services.
Through its channel on Telegram, the Base is urging its followers to attack government buildings, police, political representatives, and power plants in Kyiv and other cities. The group uses cryptocurrency to finance its operations.
“Given Russia’s connections to the leadership of the Base, including offering sanctuary to its leader Rinaldo Nazzaro, there is a strong chance that this could very well be a Russian intelligence operation,” Colin Clarke, director of research at the Soufan Center and an expert on geopolitics, was quoted as saying by The Guardian. “Supporting and directing violent non-state actors, including racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists, is just another tool in the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare toolkit, and one which Moscow has repeatedly demonstrated that it’s willing to use.”
Since late March, roughly 50 videos from Ukraine have also been posted to the Telegram channel, purporting to be Base followers spray-painting symbols of Ukraine’s Base cell in public places. According to The Guardian, the footage from Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and Odessa is authentic.
What’s more, the Base is endeavoring to form “white nationalist enclaves” in Zakarpattia Oblast, which it sees as affording appropriate conditions in geographic terms for paramilitary activity.
Ideology of the Kremlin: Export extremism and neo-Nazism to Europe
The ambition of the “Ukrainian” cell of the Base aligns with a crucial Kremlin narrative that has, since the start of Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, systematically depicted the Government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (despite his Jewish origin) as a kind of modern Third Reich. For a long time now, Russia has tried to present Ukraine as a center of the far right, notwithstanding the fact that Russia itself is providing Nazzaro with safe harbor, uses neo-Nazi paramilitary units alongside its own army in Ukraine, and maintains ties to circles of European fascists.
The extent to which the Base’s presence is real in Ukraine remains unclear and is unlikely to be more permanent or significant. In 2019, security services in Ukraine deported a Base member over neo-Nazi activity and attempting to enlist in the Ukrainian Army.
Far-right groups have repeatedly tried to infiltrate state power structures in Ukraine, but have never actually acquired any fundamental influence. Nazzaro rejects the allegation that he is associated with Russian security services in any way whatsoever, but the Base’s main e-mail address for recruitment is registered with the Russian e-mail provider Mail.ru and their first calls for violence were posted to the Russian social media network VKontakte.
The Base is also active in Europe. Last year its members were arrested in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, where authorities alleged they were associated with extremist networks of Russians.
Steven Rai, who is an analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue monitoring global extremism for the watchdog organization that saw the Base’s Ukraine posts online, told The Guardian that “While neo-Nazi accelerationists often exaggerate their reach, there is no denying the Base’s resurgence.” Rai has warned that the Base “is not bluffing” and its activities need to be taken seriously.
Since 2023, the Base has “shown itself in nearly 10 countries”, Rai said.
