The anti-Putin group "Black Bridge" claims responsibility for the fire in a Russian secret service building.
Fires of this type have been happening more frequently lately.
Russia - The question of how great the resistance against the Russian regime is is increasingly being asked - not only on the front in Ukraine, but also in the country itself. Because there are mysterious fires that have been breaking out in buildings in Russia lately , in a state in which the government under President Vladimir Putin otherwise meticulously ensures that there is no unrest.
As the US news magazine
Newsweek
reported, the anti-Putin partisan group "Black Bridge" has now claimed responsibility for the fire in the city of Rostov-on-Don that burned down an office building of the border guards of the national secret service FSB and claimed at least four lives.
"Black Bridge" explained in a post on Telegram that the fire started from an improvised explosive device placed in a fuel tank.
This information cannot be verified.
In its statement on Monday (March 20), the group called the FSB "a stronghold of hypocrisy, violence and injustice."
She continued: "It is the employees of this structure who fabricate criminal proceedings against undesirable people, take business out of the hands of entrepreneurs, organize acts of sabotage against civilians, torture opposition figures and physically eliminate 'competitors'."
Fires in Russian buildings: are partisan groups challenging Putin's fall?
State authorities, however, have rejected rumors that Putin's overthrow was being pursued.
The fire last week (March 16) broke out by itself, it said.
Putin's regional governor Vasily Golubev informed the public that the cause was "an electrical short".
As a result, fuel and lubricants caught fire in a workshop, leading to an explosion and partial collapse of the building.
But it was by no means the first fire that is said to have mysteriously started in Russian buildings since last year: rocket laboratories, recruitment offices and warehouses have already gone up in flames.
Ukraine was initially suspected of being responsible for the fires, but has denied all allegations.
Everything seems to indicate that opposition partisan movements such as "Black Bridge" or "National Republican Army" are causing considerable unrest in Russia with arson - but of course the regime cannot admit that.
Because that would mean a loss of control for the Russian president, it would mean admitting that regime enemies can wreak havoc in Russia without having been prosecuted so far.
And it might even be a first indication that Putin's fall is within the realm of possibility.
Fall of Putin?
"Black Bridge" calls for attacks on Kremlin buildings
The Black Bridge group describes itself as a movement opposed to Putin, the Russian authorities and the war in Ukraine.
She is openly working towards overthrowing Putin.
On its Telegram channel, the group writes that it is “a non-existent structure without participants who do nothing to ensure that the partisan revolutionary movement in Russia grows and develops, which, as everyone knows, does not and cannot exist.” She has spoken out strongly against the Ukraine war, saying she is "part of the new Russian resistance that has decided to fight rather than 'freeze' or 'flee'."
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
Putin's circle of power in the Kremlin - the confidants of the Russian President
Representatives of the movement also called on other opposition figures to join them: "I appeal to all those who are not indifferent, who are ready to oppose the regime with radical methods and are already doing so - turn to more serious goals.
Do not be afraid.
Let the direct action in Rostov-on-Don serve as an example for you and motivate you to new successes, even greater ones.” The goal is to completely crush the Putin regime.
“Black Bridge”: the enemy of the Russian elite
Apparently, this also means that government buildings are increasingly the focus of arson attacks.
The assassination of a military recruitment office, for example, cannot be compared "in its efficiency and resonance" with the extensive damage to a Kremlin building or the killing of a person "who is an employee of the office".
The entire Russian elite is apparently the target of Black Bridge attacks.
This is "disgusting garbage, the worst kind of people you can find in this country" and only focuses on expanding their luxurious standard of living.
“They hate Russia and treat it like a mine to be exploited, it's no more than a source of income for them.
Could you undermine the entire region's ecosystem to make some money?...Do you have to murder someone?
Or maybe organize a genocide in the neighboring country?
No problem!
What else could you do for a beautiful lakeside home in Como?” the group said.
Arson attacks in Russia: resistance to Putin's regime?
In fact, the resistance does not seem to be limited to just individuals: after Putin's mobilization decisions, people were seen on social networks throwing incendiary devices at the army's draft and muster offices in front of the camera.
By November 2022, the Russian opposition portal
Mediazona
alone counted 77 attacks of this type.
For the West, the alleged arson attacks represent an unexpected hope in the surveillance state of Russia: the fearless resistance that is normally nipped in the bud by Putin's followers may still exist after all.
As the editorial network
RND
reported, Western secret services have not yet made an assessment of the impact of the arson attacks.
However, they would observe a trend towards an overall increase in activity, particularly in the case of attacks on the Russian rail network.
(ale)