Bottom line up front of М.К.У.

Who:

М.К.У. (Maniac Murder Cult) was formed by a group of extremist individuals, led by a figure known as Maniac, a 20-year-old from Dnipro, Ukraine.

What:

М.К.У. is an extremist group that engages in violent acts, including attacks on homeless individuals and promoting neo-Nazism. They refer to themselves as "maniacs and murderers" and describe their violent actions as "sacrifices."

When:

М.К.У. began gaining attention in 2019 when neo-Nazi Telegram channels started sharing short videos of their violent acts. The group's activities have been ongoing since then, with notable arrests in 2021. However, in the first edition of the Haters Handbook, the author claims that М.К.У. has been active since 2017.

Where:

The group was formed in Dnipro, Ukraine. Its activities have since spread to various cities in Russia, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tambov, Voronezh, Gelendzhik, and Yaroslavl. М.К.У. influence is now spreading to North America, Europe and Oceania.

Why:

М.К.У. was formed with the hybridized ideology of national socialism and satanism. They promote the concept of accelerationism, of promoting a "racial holy war" (RaHoWa) and extreme xenophobia. The group's leader, Maniac, orchestrates these violent acts as part of their belief in racial superiority and the "disposal" of migrants and other marginalized groups. Their actions are also motivated by a desire to gain notoriety and instill fear through their recorded acts of violence.

Introduction

The next part of my series on 764 will examine the transnational terroristic and violent extremist (TVE) networks that are connected to Com and 764. Though the majority of the 764 network is linked to criminality, there is a subset that poses a national security threat, whereby transnational TVE actors seek to recruit, mobilize offline action and inspire real stochastic acts of nihilistic violence. There are two groups of interest that I will discuss: М.К.У. (a.k.a. MMC, a.k.a. M.K.U.,  a.k.a. Maniac Murder Cult, a.k.a. Maniac Cult of Murder, a.k.a. CBB, a.k.a. Cult Brotherhood of Blood) and No Lives Matter (NLM).  I will begin by providing a brief historical examination of М.К.У. Following this, I will examine the history of how М.К.У. has formed links with North American TVE networks like the National Socialist Order of Nine Angles (NSO9A), Satanic Front, 764, and NLM.

I will caveat the article from the get-go that the connections between these threat actors are based on my examination of their primary material, as well as public and private chat logs.  These are decentralized movements, therefore, the links between them are rooted in the “lore” that is shared by those who have self-identified as founders or members of these groups. М.К.У. is the only one of these groups that was initially formed offline and then moved online. WhereasNSO9A, NLM, and 764 are purely online movements that have recently demonstrated offline criminality. As for the last three there is no way for me to confirm the validity of ownership of the primary material or of membership in these groups beyond the statements made by threat actors and my own assessments.  As I explained in my last piece, a key dimension of Com and these threat actors is clout chasing and therefore they regularly inflate or outright lie about their activities and beliefs. This adds a layer of difficulty in parsing truth from the bullshit. Additionally, reporting about the history of М.К.У  is not 100% reliable as most of it stems from Russian State media following the arrest of key individuals from М.К.У. in 2021. Considering the historical Kremlin narratives about neo-Nazis in Ukraine and how that has been weaponized by the state, reporting by the Russian State on М.К.У. is not reliable and is grounded in disinformation that serves the state.

Маньяки: культ убийства (Maniac: Cult of Murder)

What is М.К.У.

М.К.У. is a group that was formed in Dnipro Ukraine and spread into Russia, which was involved in extremist activities across several Russian cities. The earliest digital trace of М.К.У.-like videos were posted on 2chan in 2018. However, their origin might date back earlier as the author of the first edition of the Haters Handbook claims that М.К.У. has been active since 2017. (This document was published by someone affiliated with М.К.У.) .  In 2019 neo-Nazi VKontakte (VK) profiles and Telegram channels began sharing short videos, no longer than two minutes, of street fights and attacks on homeless people. These videos were claimed by a group calling themselves М.К.У. Based on the 38 М.К.У. videos that were shared on Telegram and VK there appears to have been 33 attacks occurring in Dnipro. Several of the attacks in the videos  feature М.К.У. leader Maniac. There are also likely three attacks that were filmed in St. Petersburg. These videos reveal a dark and violent skinhead and accelerationist subculture where members committed various heinous crimes, often recording their actions and sharing them online (this digital behaviour is key to remember in examining how 764 and NLM are recording and performing the offline actions in part 3 of this series).

In their propaganda М.К.У. self-identify as  terrorists and are ideologically rooted in both national socialist culture and esotericism. They hold to the accelerationist and xenophobic belief that they need to start a Racial Holy War (RaHoWa). They promote the use of accelerationist tactics, techniques and procedures as a means to achieve their goals. According to the group’s ideological manifesto posted in Telegram they believe:

· In a more aggressive form of national socialism rooted in the "Thule Society" inspired by the writings of Helena Blavatsky and Guido von List.

· Misanthropy – the hate and distrust of humanity.

· Theistic Satanism and Esotericism as found in O9A - М.К.У. shows a hatred for  religions of the Abrahamic tradition. They promote a loathing for mercy and forgiveness while they worship death and strive for power.

· религия убийства/церковь очищения (religion of murder/church of purification) – “the cult's own religion, which views death not as a standard process of life's end but as a godlike entity, the mother of maniacs, who endowed her children with the gift and power to kill people and anthroposophist to eradicate the degenerative, self-destructive, and parasitic form of life (humans) to raise a new existence on the ruins of the past civilization and throne of godlike representatives of the white race, the true rulers of all that exists.” According to their own writings they believe that death is a conscious entity (this stems from their esoteric beliefs). They believe that death is the impetus for the “awakening” of maniacs, that it is the force behind the murders and violence they carry out.

Ideologically, they are rooted in a blend of esotericism, left hand path^[1], accelerationism and skinhead culture and aesthetics. They also promote nihilistic and misanthropic behaviours and beliefs. Their propaganda and publications borrow heavily from the art style popularized by Dark Foreigner.

М.К.У.’s recording of their offline activities were often accompanied by horrorcore music, a genre combining aggressive electronic music, metal, and rap. Notably, Russian musician Skabbibal likely collaborated with Maniac, the leader of М.К.У., on several tracks, adding a macabre soundtrack to the group's violent videos.

М.К.У. Key Terms

Maniacs: This is the term used to describe members of М.К.У. According to internal documents maniacs are “Representatives of the godlike white race who have awakened the call of the blood race within themselves, able to see everything in its true form, and who have proven their loyalty by shedding blood and contributing to the racial war.”

Awakening: “The process by which a representative of the white race begins to see the true nature of things, eradicates the infection of lies from their consciousness that has grown over the years, gains freedom from all human aspects, and embarks on the path of bloodshed and the nightmare of endless murders.”

Killings/Manhunts: As a group, М.К.У. is focused on offline activity, and membership requires offline acts of criminality and violence. Manhunts (possibly taking influence from O9A’s^[2] ideological material on killing of opfers) are the task of going out and choosing someone at random to stalk and kill. As they state in their guide on Manhunts, “Our one and only task is to kill the mundane in any dimension we get deployed. In this instance it’s planet earth. Since we’re here to sharpen our killing skills, let's get straight to the point."

Enemies of the Cult: In their documentation they highlight several enemies, who are also the preferred targets for manhunts. The state that enemies are those who hinder the achievement of their accelerationist goals and further state that “The priority of the target depends on the degree of harm it brings; inaction is also considered harmful.” They have six categories they enumerate as enemies in their publications:

-people (those who contribute to the demise of the white race),

-anthroposophist, occupational authorities of humanity (this refers to individuals or institutions in position of power: government, law enforcement, corporations, etc.),

-slave of the occupational authorities of humanity (primary, secondary and tertiary people who work with those in position of authority),

-"the lowest form of bio-trash" (alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless people),

-others (representatives of various political and subcultural movements publicly denying the groups ideas. Group traitors, race traitors, those who are awakened to their reality but inactive.)

Basically, everyone and anyone is a potential target, though the more intersectionalities or vulnerabilities you visibly present, the more likely you are to be targeted by one of these threat actors.

Overview of М.К.У. Arrests in Russia

According to public reporting, in January 2021, Russian Federal Security Services (FSB) in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tambov, Voronezh, Gelendzhik, and Yaroslavl conducted searches and arrested around 20 suspected members of М.К.У.  The charges ranged from extremism to preparing terrorist acts. The following details stem from Kremlin media and the details around the arrests should be viewed through that lens as they were used for propagandistic purposes.

Moscow:

In January 2021, a video surfaced showing the interrogation of 25-year-old Alexey Narzyaev in Moscow, revealing both his involvement with М.К.У.  as well as his refusal to carry out violent acts ordered by a  person known as Maniac, the leader of М.К.У., from Dnipro, Ukraine.

Voronezh:

In February 2021, the FSB arrested three М.К.У. supporters, accusing them of promoting neo-Nazism and mass murder. The investigation found them associated with the nationalist movement "Russian Corps."

Gelendzhik and Yaroslavl:

In March 2021, 14 individuals were arrested for attacking homeless people, filming the assaults, and posting them online.

Tambov:

17-year-old Andrey S., shared extremist content and was arrested after authorities found bomb-making materials in his home. His arrest video highlighted the intense interrogation methods used by the FSB.

The Arrest of Manic a.k.a. Yegor Krasnov, leader of М.К.У.

In January 2020, Yegor Krasnov, who was identified as Maniac and the leader of М.К.У. was arrested in Dnipro. His background reveals a history of violent behavior and involvement in neo-Nazi activities. The FSB, through state media, claims that М.К.У. was set up by Yegor Krasnov, a Ukraine national, specifically for the purpose of spreading neo-Nazi ideas in Russia and committing acts of terror. The FSB claimed that Krasnov had been operating "under the auspices of the Ukrainian special services". The tropes here echo similar ones spread by Russia in their justification of the invasion of Ukraine.

Conclusion

Though the leader of М.К.У. was arrested the group continued its activities with members spreading propaganda and coordinating attacks. М.К.У. continues to pose a potential threat due to its ability to attract new members in the West despite the arrest of their leader.

My investigation into М.К.У.  reveals a disturbing and violent real world and digital subculture rooted in neo-Nazi ideology and satanism. The group's coordinated attacks, often filmed and shared online, have drawn significant attention from Western terrorist and violent extremist actors as well as the 764 network.

^[1] In Western esotericism, left-hand path and right-hand path are two opposing approaches to magic. The LHP represents an individualistic path of occultic sorcery found in Laveyan and Theistic Satanism, and often questions traditional views of morality. The Order of Nine Angles take their "sinister" version of the LHP a step further. In the O9A version of the LHP, there are no rules: there is nothing that is not permitted; nothing that is forbidden or restricted. That is, the O9A view of morality means the individual takes sole responsibility for their actions and their quest, and does not abide by the ethics of mundanes (non magic practicing individuals). In addition, the O9A LHP (called the Sevenfold Way or 7FW) is where the individual learns from the practical deeds and practical challenges that are an integral part of their practices.

^[2] The Order of Nine Angles (O9A) is a decentralized, satanic, neo-Nazi organization. O9A adherents believe Western civilization’s Judeo-Christian heritage corrupts modern society and seek to overthrow and replace the current order with a new imperial order based on Fascism, Social Darwinism and Satanism. O9A ideology has spread and become both increasingly influential and divisive among accelerationist neo-Nazi groups in recent years. https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-order-of-nine-angles-explainer/