With thousands of Russian police officers redeployed to the war in Ukraine, nationalist vigilante groups are increasingly patrolling the streets of Russian cities. These groups are filling a security vacuum, enforcing their brand of pro-Kremlin order and raising concerns about the Kremlin’s reliance on extremists to maintain control.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine drains law enforcement resources, some cities have lost up to half their patrol officers. In their place, groups like Russkaya Obshchina—now with 150 chapters across Russia—have taken on policing roles, targeting what they claim are threats to Russian values. These vigilantes, many of them war veterans, post videos of themselves intervening in street disputes, detaining migrants, raiding LGBTQ gatherings, and forcing military registration on civilians.

These groups have grown in visibility through platforms like Telegram and VK, even offering apps with panic buttons for citizen use. Their activities stretch well beyond law enforcement norms, often blurring into outright intimidation and harassment.

Kremlin Caught Between Control and Extremism

Authorities, especially in remote regions, are stretched thin. Russia’s Interior Ministry acknowledges a shortfall of 172,000 officers, and President Vladimir Putin has admitted to worsening recruitment struggles. Some vigilante groups have ties to influential businessmen or local officials and operate with what many believe is tacit government approval.

In regions like Siberia and the Far East, vigilante units operate openly, targeting migrant workers and LGBTQ communities with impunity. In some cases, they collaborate directly with police forces, raising questions about the state’s complicity.

Human rights advocates warn that Russia’s de facto endorsement of nationalist vigilantes undermines its own claims to be fighting extremism abroad. Groups like Russkaya Obshchina, which enjoy public backing from figures in law enforcement, are exploiting the Kremlin’s militarized nationalism for their own agendas, often using anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

“This could also backfire against the Russian state as it is effectively sharing its monopoly on violence,” said Vera Alperovich of the NGO Sova.

A Spreading Pattern of Vigilantism

From Novosibirsk to Crimea, these groups have raided construction sites, rounded up migrants, stormed nightclubs, and harassed private citizens. Other groups, such as Northern Man, have joined in these raids, pushing fringe ideologies into the mainstream under the guise of law enforcement.

While presented as restoring public order, their activities reflect broader social tensions fueled by Russia’s ongoing war, economic strain, and nationalist fervor.