The National Republican Army (NRA) said on Telegram last night that it was responsible for the murder of Tatarsky. It is the same group that also claimed responsibility for the August attack on the ultra-nationalist philosopher Dugina. “But the strange thing is that we actually don’t even know if this club exists,” says Russia correspondent Joost Bosman. “We’ve never heard of it before and they haven’t reported in between.”
Reason
The motivation for the attack seems clear: the club, whether it exists or not, is against the war in Ukraine. The group says it does not intend to harm ordinary citizens by their actions, although according to Bosman it was only partially successful in this case. “In addition to Tatarsky’s death, 16 were injured. But those people deserve it, according to the NRA, because they are for the special military operation in Ukraine, as Russia still calls it.’
According to Bosman, the fact that these kinds of small attacks are being committed on Russian territory does not mean that large-scale resistance to the war is also starting. “There is a tradition of small-scale resistance here. We also saw this in the time of the tsars, when there were several bomb attacks against grand dukes and prime ministers. You can kind of see it in that line.’
Navalny
It is not yet known whether the woman arrested earlier this week in connection with the attack also has ties to the NRA. The prosecutor and the anti-terrorism committee have not yet charged the group, according to Bosman. “They say that Ukraine is behind the attack, supported by supporters of Aleksey Navalny. This, of course, is water for the Kremlin’s mill, because it further blackens Navalny, even if he is imprisoned ».