Anime-inspired Russian youth gangs gaining traction in Ukraine

Russian youth gangs, inspired by Japanese anime and manga, have been linked to a recent wave of violence in Russia.

These gangs, which are reportedly named PMC Redan or PMC Ryodan, are also gaining traction in Ukraine.

News reports said that the gangs’ first fight broke out on Feb 9 in a foodcourt at Aviapark Mall in Moscow. Other fights, reportedly arranged by the gangs, also took place at other shopping centres in the city.

The gangs’ name is derived from a name in the Japanese manga series, Hunter x Hunter, and the acronym for “private military company”, referring to Russia’s Wagner mercenary group. The manga series features a criminal organisation called Genei Ryodan, also known as the “Spider”. Its members are called “Spiders”.

Members of the PMC Redan gangs sport long dark hair, are dressed in black outfits with spider symbols and the number four. They organise fights through Telegram channels and turn up at designated venues as flash mobs.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that more than 350 people – 319 of them minors – had been taken to police stations in Moscow for being involved in the brawls.

Newsweek, which quoted unnamed media reports, said brawls had occurred between gang members and those of another Russian youth subculture known as “offniks”, or football hooligans, as well as Russians with a non-Slavic appearance.

The American global news magazine reported that members of the gangs appeared to be inspired by nationalist Russian elements and perhaps even those that were critical of President Vladimir Putin himself.

RIA Novosti also reported that supporters of the Redan subculture, referring to the gangs, had been detained in St Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Kazan.

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was important to stop illegal actions. He called the gangs a pseudo-subculture “with a minus sign” that did not bring anything good for the young people of Russia.

In recent days, the gangs have also reportedly gained momentum in Ukraine and Belarus.

The National Police of Ukraine claimed that the Russians were trying to export the movement’s negative influence to Ukrainian teenagers through a disinformation campaign on Telegram channels.

The Ukraine police said they had blocked 18 Telegram channels and groups “created to conduct Russian military information campaigns, undermine the domestic situation in Ukraine and involve minors in illegal activities”.

They added that about 30 youth gatherings had taken place in different regions of the country over the course of two days. “Law enforcement officers immediately responded and prevented conflicts among the teenagers.”

In Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, law enforcement officers have identified 245 participants – 215 of them minors – in a flash mob reportedly organised by Russia.

Kharkiv Oblast police chief Volodymyr Tymoshko said Russia’s Federal Security Service had “gathered all these people through manipulation and deception”, with the intention of starting a fight so that the Russian media could use it.

“Gas canisters, knives, brass knuckles were found in the possession of many (participants),” he added..

The Ukraine police’s Cyber Police Division said it had detained the 13-year-old and 16-year-old founders of the gangs’ Telegram channels in the cities of Dnipro and Cherkasy.

In a video released by the police, one of the teenagers said: “I am the founder of a group with about 2,500 members. I created it to make money from advertising posts, as the topic of Redan is popular on social media.”

He said that the idea “came from Russia, intending destabilisation”.

“I ask everyone to stop organising meetings and looking for Redanists,” he added.