In Moscow and other cities, groups of teenagers got into fights, some of whom were part of PMC Ryodan. What do we know about this subculture?
What occurred at the shopping center “Aviapark”
One of the initial clashes involving “PMC Ryodan” erupted at the Moscow shopping center “Aviapark” on February 19. Muscular guys clashed with black-haired informals at the food court. This led to a fight. The informals fought back. The video of the incident was widely shared by numerous youth groups – causing a stir with schoolchildren.
The next day, the teenagers settled their differences in two different metropolitan shopping centers – at Aviapark and Marcos Mall. And on weekends, young people fought en masse not only in Moscow, but also in St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan and Kursk. The guards didn't do much to stop the fights. Only riot police managed to disperse the crowds. Dozens of teenagers were arrested. Some were not even fifteen years old. Many were injured, but the injuries were not life-threatening. Reports of stabbings and people being thrown out of windows turned out to be false. However, the news about the girl who was injured is sadly true.
Even random people were affected. One of the first to “suffer for his gear” was Eugene. There is a video of him and his group being harassed and beaten. It was February 21st.
Based on the Cheryomushkinsky District Court of Moscow's database, four of the likely instigators (reportedly all part of the PMC Ryodan movement) have already been placed under house arrest. A criminal case has been launched under the second part of the “Hooliganism” article.
200 thousand fans of “PMC Ryodan”
The most visible participants in the fight – due to their appearance – were members of the new youth subculture “PMC Ryodan”. It is not yet clear how the prefix PMC originated (private military company. — Note. Life). Ryodans wear plaid trousers, long black hair, and clothes with a four on a white spider. This symbolism is from the popular Japanese anime series “Hunter x Hunter”, where members of the Spider gang have such tattoos. In general, this anime is a fantasy story with its own heroes and villains.
Members of the movement describe Ryodan as a community of people who love anime, play Dota-2, and attend concerts of Dota rappers like Shadowraze and Juzo. Spider 4 is simply merchandise used primarily during events or community gatherings. The main aim is to come together and relax. In Ryodan groups, you can find many videos from such gatherings: nothing special, just young people having fun and not bothering anyone.
The unofficial leader of the movement is believed to be a certain Ali Redanov. He was the one who created the first public groups. It is also not known which of his pages is real. According to some information, after the first spontaneous fight, he called a meeting for the Redanovites at the Aviapark shopping center, where he suggested confronting “skins” and “gopniks”. Whether he was arrested or not is still unknown.
The representatives of PMC Ryodan claim to be peaceful, but they are regularly attacked by football hooligans, nationalists, and people from Central Asia and the Caucasus. The reason for the attacks is the appearance of the Redans.
Among the opponents of “PMC Ryodan” were activists from the online community “Central Bank not mit”, which means “Tsvetnoy Boulevard is not a meeting place.” This youth movement promotes sports and creates videos with young drug addicts and drunkards whom they mock. Although the admins themselves distance themselves from any violence, one of the girls they mocked was later splashed with green paint on her face.
However, the public pages “Central Bank do not mit” and “PMC Ryodan” are now trying to reconcile their members. Both pages are currently sharing cute pictures about friendship.
Provocation or ideological conflict
According to members of both movements, the cause of the mass brawls in Moscow and other regions could be a provocation. For example, from the side of the “Central Bank does not mit”, a certain anonymous individual hiding behind Arabic symbols on social networks called for attacks against Redanovites. It was discovered that this person may live in Mexico, and is a member of numerous local groups such as “Mexico City Chat” and “Cancun Flea Market”. The avatar is Vladimir Zelensky.
Provocateurs could also have acted from the “PMC Ryodan” side. For instance, a certain Kir Chvkredanov, who was actually a girl from Kyiv, called for the killing of skinheads.
Dozens of such “trolls” posted hate-inciting posts. This negative content was then shared, reposted, and viewed by hundreds of teenagers. It was seen by thousands. Now, the most daring have gone to shopping centers to fight.
