A series of Molotov cocktail arson attacks and shootings took place in Russian military commissariat registration and enlistment offices following the start of the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Other governmental buildings were also attacked in multiple regions of Russia. Part of the Russian partisan and anti-war movements, the attacks were spurred by several factors, including the invasion of Ukraine, the deployment of Russian conscripts to the front line, the start of spring conscription, and rumors about possible mobilization in the country, which were later found to be true.
| 2022–25 Russian military commissariats attacks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the anti-war protests in Russia, Terrorism in Russia and Russian partisan movement (2022–present) | |||
Map of attacks on military commissariats in Russia since February 2022 | |||
| Date | 28 February 2022 – present | ||
| Location | Russia | ||
| Caused by |
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| Methods |
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| Status | Ongoing | ||
| Parties | |||
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| Casualties | |||
| Death | 13 (including 2 perpetrators) | ||
| Injuries | >20 | ||
Commissariat offices recruit servicemen to the Russian Army and choose who is eligible and ineligible for service. The attacks were not a single coordinated campaign; and were led by a variety of people, from left-wing anarchists and scammers to far-right groups and assorted lone wolf actors.
Chronology
| Date | Place | Target | Method | Deaths | Injuries | Damage (per Russian authorities) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February 2022 | Lukhovitsy, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Vandalism, Molotov attack, Graffiti | 0 | 0 | Shattered windows, "material damage" | |
| 2 March 2022 | Voronezh | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Entrance door of the commissariat | |
| 10 March 2022 | Beryozovsky, Sverdlovsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Entrance doors of the commissariat | |
| 18 March 2022 | Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Window of the commissariat | |
| 18 April 2022 | Zubova Polyana, Mordovia | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | One office, several computers | |
| 1 May 2022 | Belgorod | Ministry of Defence facility | Arson (allegedly) | 0 | 1 | Unknown | |
| 4 May 2022 | Nizhnevartovsk | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Wood paneling | |
| 8 May 2022 | Cherepovets | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Two window frames, exterior decoration | |
| 9 May 2022 | Balashikha, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Window | |
| 13 May 2022 | Omsk | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Windows | |
| Gukovo, Rostov Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | ||
| 14 May 2022 | Pronsk, Ryazan Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Entrance door and window | |
| 15 May 2022 | Volgograd | Military commissariat | Arson, Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | "Some used items" | |
| 18 May 2022 | Shchyolkovo, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Two offices, Military commissariat archive | |
| 20 May 2022 | Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky, Irkutsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Air gun firing | 0 | 0 | Window | |
| Igra, Udmurtia | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Army reserve room | ||
| 28 May 2022 | Simferopol | Military commissariat | Molotov attack (unsuccessful) | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 31 May 2022 | Yasnogorsk, Tula Oblast | Military commissariat | Axe attack, arson | 0 | 0 | Window | |
| 8 June 2022 | Vladivostok | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Building cladding | |
| 24 June 2022 | Belgorod | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Table in one of the offices, window | |
| Perm | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Two windows | ||
| 13 July 2022 | Mozhaysk, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 15 July 2022 | Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol Krai | Commissariat, City administration | Planned Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | |
| 20 July 2022 | Uglich, Yaroslavl Oblast | Military commissariat | Planned Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | |
| 18 August 2022 | Konakovo, Tver Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Window frame | |
| 3 September 2022 | Izhevsk, Udmurtia | Police station | Molotov attack, stabbing | 0 | 3 | Two policemen received stab wounds, perpetrator received gunshot wounds | |
| 22 September 2022 | Tolyatti | City administration | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Entrance | |
| Nizhny Novgorod | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Dental office, window | ||
| Lomonosov, Saint Petersburg | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Сhurch building window (by mistake) | ||
| Gay, Orenburg Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | One wall | ||
| Kyra, Zabaykalsky Krai | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Commissariat documentation | ||
| 23 September 2022 | Svobodny, Amur Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | "Light damage" | |
| Khabarovsk | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Two offices | ||
| Kamyshin, Volgograd Oblast | City administration | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | ||
| Tselinnoye, Altai Krai | House of Culture, village administration | Arson | 0 | 0 | Postal office | ||
| Kostroma | Military commissariat | Graffiti | 0 | 0 | One wall | ||
| 24 September 2022 | Kansk, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Furniture in one of the rooms | |
| Salavat, Bashkortostan | United Russia office | Arson | 0 | 0 | Entrance door | ||
| 25 September 2022 | Ruzayevka, Mordovia | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | One office | |
| Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | One wall | ||
| Kirovsk, Leningrad Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | One office | ||
| Bereslavka, Volgograd Oblast | Village administration | Arson | 0 | 0 | All building, art school | ||
| Syaskelevo, Leningrad Oblast | Village administration | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Social protection office | ||
| Ryazan | Bus station | Self-immolation | 0 | 1 | No damage | ||
| 26 September 2022 | Ust-Ilimsk, Irkutsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Shooting | 0 | 1 | Military commissar received gunshot wounds | |
| Uryupinsk, Volgograd Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | "Significant damage" | ||
| Tarusa, Kaluga Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Broken window | ||
| Beloomut, Moscow Oblast | Locality administration | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Double glazing and window sill | ||
| 27 September 2022 | Vladivostok | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Military pensioners accounting office | |
| 28 September 2022 | Vladivostok | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Broken window, burnt windowsill and frame | |
| 29 September 2022 | Novosibirsk | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Broken window | |
| Zimovniki, Rostov Oblast | District administration | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | One office | ||
| 30 September 2022 | Nizhny Novgorod | Building of Federal Taxation Service | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| Krasnodar | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | "The arsonist failed to start a big fire" | ||
| 1 October 2022 | Kaa-Khem, Tuva Republic | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| 3 October 2022 | Kazan | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Grass near the military commissariat | |
| Krasnoyarsk | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | "A small fire" | ||
| 5 October 2022 | Zyuzino, Moscow Oblast | Military unit | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Burnt window cladding | |
| 6 October 2022 | Goryachy Klyuch, Krasnodar Krai | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 9 October 2022 | Arkhangelskoye, Bashkortostan | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 11 October 2022 | Bakal, Chelyabinsk Oblast | Locality administration | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 12 October 2022 | Saint Petersburg | Sberbank branch | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 14 October 2022 | Votkinsk, Udmurtia | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| Cherkessk, Karachay-Cherkessia | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| 15 October 2022 | Soloti, Belgorod Oblast | Military training area | Shooting | 13 (including both perpetrators) | 15 | 11 killed according to state-owned news agency RIA; both gunmen were killed | |
| 16 October 2022 | Shchyolkovo, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 17 October 2022 | Mukhorshibir, Buryatia | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Burnt facade | |
| 26 October 2022 | Kyzyl | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Burnt window | |
| 28 October 2022 | Kemerovo | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| 30 October 2022 | Ust-Kan, Altai Republic | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| Almetyevsk, Tatarstan | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | ||
| 7 November 2022 | Angarsk, Irkutsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 23 December 2022 | Ivanteyevka, Saratov Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | One room burnt out | |
| 26 December 2022 | Perm | Multi-story house housing a military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Fire spread up to 5 floors high | |
| 27 December 2022 | Podolsk, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Burnt window | |
| 29 December 2022 | Yekaterinburg | Electrical substation | Arson | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | |
| 1 January 2023 | Moscow | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 9 January 2023 | Bratsk, Irkutsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Damage on an area of a 50 square meters | |
| 10 January 2023 | Novokubansk, Krasnodar Krai | Federal Penitentiary Service archive | Arson | 0 | 0 | 500-800 files of prisoners destroyed | |
| 11 January 2023 | Magdagachi, Amur Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Burnt window | |
| 2 February 2023 | Kovylkino, Mordovia | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| 21 February 2023 | Bokhan, Irkutsk Oblast | Administration building | Arson | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a large fire | |
| 23 February 2023 | Murmansk | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Windowframe damaged | |
| 26 February 2023 | Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Ceiling burnt out in a Social Fund of Russia's office | |
| 28 February 2023 | Kirovsk, Leningrad Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a fire | |
| 6 March 2023 | Novosibirsk | Aid collection point for draftees | Arson | 0 | 0 | Floor and a desk burned | |
| 1 April 2023 | Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a fire | |
| 12 April 2023 | Usinsk, Komi Republic | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| 25 April 2023 | Yelets, Lipetsk Oblast | District administration office and court | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a fire | |
| 7 May 2023 | Yekaterinburg | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | |
| 8 May 2023 | Likhoslavl, Tver Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Building's facade and a windowframe damaged | |
| 11 May 2023 | Usinsk, Komi Republic | Federal Security Service office | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Fire on an area of 1.5 sq m, burnt windowframe | |
| 14 May 2023 | Murmansk | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Burnt furniture and electronics in a social security office | |
| 15 May 2023 | Ulyanovsk | Police station | Arson | 0 | 0 | Burnt windowframe | |
| 22 May 2023 | Moscow | Military commissariat | Unexplained fire | 0 | 0 | "The scale of the damage is unclear" | |
| 1 June 2023 | Inza, Ulyanovsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Fire was quickly extinguished | |
| 3 June 2023 | Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Firework attack | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a fire | |
| 4 June 2023 | Asha, Chelyabinsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| 7 June 2023 | Vladimir | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Fire was quickly extinguished | |
| 8 June 2023 | Tynda, Amur Oblast | Police station | Airsoft grenade attack | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| 29 June 2023 | St. Petersburg | Sberbank branch | Arson | 0 | 0 | Fire was quickly extinguished | |
| 5 July 2023 | Yoshkar-Ola | Sberbank branch | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Door burnt, glass shattered | |
| 20 July 2023 | Berdsk, Novosibirsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Door burnt | |
| 29 July 2023 | Feodosia, Crimea | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Asphalt near the building burnt | |
| Kazan | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Wall burnt | ||
| Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Ground was set on fire | ||
| 30 July 2023 | Sevastopol | Commandant's Service office | Molotov attack / self-immolation | 0 | 1 | Window damaged by shards | |
| 31 July 2023 | St. Petersburg | Military commissariat | Arson, car ramming | 0 | 0 | Burnt door, broken gates | |
| Kazan | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a fire | ||
| Omsk | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Kaluga | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Mozhaysk, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Windowframe burnt | ||
| Aginskoye, Zabaykalsky Krai | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Rossosh, Voronezh Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Podolsk, Moscow Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Kopeysk, Chelyabinsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Volsk, Saratov Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Maykop | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | ||
| 1 August 2023 | Ulan-Ude | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Fire on an area of 1 sq m | |
| Verkhneuralsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Moscow | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Fire was extinguished | ||
| Stavropol | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | ||
| Ishimbay, Bashkortostan | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Sestroretsk, St. Petersburg | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | ||
| Nakhodka, Primorsky Krai | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| 14 August 2023 | Polevskoy, Sverdlovsk Oblast | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Door burnt | |
| 15 August 2023 | Chernyshevsk, Zabaykalsky Krai | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a fire | |
| 17 August 2023 | Kirov | Mobilization tent | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| 22 August 2023 | Yekaterinburg | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Little damage | |
| 29 August 2023 | Ufa | Military commissariat | Arson | 0 | 0 | Detained before arson | |
| Moscow | Judicial sector | Arson | 0 | 0 | Fire on the surface of 6 sq m | ||
| 5 September 2023 | St. Petersburg | Military commissariat | Bombing | 0 | 0 | No data | |
| 18 September 2023 | Blagoveshchensk | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Grass near the building burnt | |
| 21 September 2023 | Magadan | Printing warehouse (mistaken for a military commissariat) | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Window broken | |
| 27 September 2023 | St. Petersburg | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | |
| Kotelnich, Kirov Oblast | Contract service reception point | Arson | 0 | 0 | Little damage | ||
| Kornevo, Kaliningrad Oblast | Cadet classroom in a local school | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Arsonist failed to start a fire | ||
| 28 September 2023 | Artyom, Primorsky Krai | Military commissariat | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Fire quickly went out | |
| 15 March 2024 | Borisoglebsk, Voronezh Oblast | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | Ballots damaged | |
| Moscow | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | Ballots damaged | ||
| Voting booth | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | |||
| Kogalym, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug | Ballot box | Arson | 0 | 0 | Floor was set on fire; no damage to the ballots | ||
| St. Petersburg | Polling station | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Simferopol | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | Ballots damaged | ||
| Rostov-on-Don | Ballot box | Inking | 0 | 0 | Ballots damaged | ||
| Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast | Voting booth | Arson | 0 | 0 | Voting booth damaged | ||
| Asbest, Sverdlovsk Oblast | Polling station | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Volzhsky, Volgograd Oblast | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | Ballots damaged | ||
| Lytkarino, Moscow Oblast | Ballot box | Paint attack | 0 | 0 | One ballot damaged | ||
| Sochi, Krasnodar Krai | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | Ballots damaged | ||
| Cheboksary | Ballot box | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Chelyabinsk | Polling station | Firecracker attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Ivanovo | Polling station | Arson | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Novosibirsk | Ballot box | Zelyonka/ink attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Izhevsk | Ballot box | Zelyonka/ink attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | ||
| Kurgan | Ballot box | Zelyonka/ink attack | 0 | 0 | No data | ||
| Veliky Novgorod | Ballot box | Paint attack | 0 | 0 | No damage | ||
| Yekaterinburg | Ballot box | Paint attack | 0 | 0 | Detained before ballot tampering | ||
| 16 March 2024 | Kuragino, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | One ballot damaged | |
| Tobolsk, Tyumen Oblast | Polling station | Firecracker attack | 0 | 1 | Perpetrator injured | ||
| Mayma, Altai Republic | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | Detained before ballot tampering | ||
| Zelenogradsk, Kaliningrad Oblast | Ballot box | Zelyonka attack | 0 | 0 | Ballots damaged | ||
| 17 March 2024 | Krasnodar | Polling station | Arson | 0 | 0 | "Insignificant damage" | |
| Perm | Polling station | Firecracker attack | 0 | 1 | Perpetrator injured | ||
| 13 April 2024 | Vladimir | Regional government office | Molotov attack | 0 | 0 | Car destroyed |
Versions
In the Telegram channel "Oderint, Dum Metuant", the authors of which opposed the invasion of Ukraine and position themselves as a cell of the revived National Socialism / White Power, there were videos of some actions - on some unknown people set fire to cars with the letter Z, on others fires are visible in some buildings — the channel claims that supporters of the movement set fire to the warehouse of the "military facility", the police department and the military commissariats. The channel administrators even arranged a "quest", promising 15,000 rubles to anyone who sets fire to a car with the Z symbol, or 30,000 for setting fire to a police car. They planned to pay money in cryptocurrency. According to the security officials, the movement's associates could be involved in several arsons in central Russia.
In anonymous Telegram channels and on pro-Kremlin websites, allegations began to appear that the Security Service of Ukraine pays 30,000 rubles for setting fire to military commissariats, and this "must be filmed on camera".
According to another version, draft offices are set on fire by conscripts and those subject to possible mobilization.
Phone scams
Some reports indicate that some of the attacks are being committed by elderly people who have been tricked via phone to first hand over large amounts of money, and then in order to regain that money, perform an attack on a conscription center.
Legal proceedings
After beginning of mobilization, Vladimir Tsimlyansky, Representative of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta stated "arson of military commissariat will be qualified as terrorist attack or calls for terrorist attack". According to Criminal Code of Russia, a person can get up to 15 years in prison for those charges.
Two men — from Saint Petersburg and from Chernyakhovsk — were charged with "Intentional damage or destruction of someone else's property" under Article 167. The man from Volgograd was arrested for Molotov attack and is now detained on charges of Article 167 as well as Article 213 "Hooliganism".
Another case has been opened under Article 205 "Terrorist act" for Molotov attacker from Krasnodar.
See also
- Russian partisan movement (2022–present)
- Russian mystery fires
- Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
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