Insurgency Overview
The Anarcho-Communist Combat Organization (BOAK) is a group of far-left activists currently engaged in anti-war activities against the Russian and Belarussian states. Though its exact date of origin is unclear, BOAK has gained attention since the March 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for its role in attacking recruitment offices, sabotaging railways, and spreading anti-Putin rhetoric. Additionally, BOAK advocates for the end of capitalism and state rule, with the aim of creating a decentralized democratic system in its place. Though nobody knows their exact strength or numbers, it is clear by their ability to carry out and inspire attacks in Russia and Belarus that they are well organized and capable of standing in the way of what they perceive as Putin’s expansionist ambitions.
History & Foundations
Russia and Eastern Europe have an anarchist political current dating back the middle of the 19th century. The Russian theorist Mikhail Bakunin is considered one of the founders and most influential activists in the anarchist movement. It is this anarchist tradition that BOAK embodies today.
By some accounts, BOAK has existed for at least ten years. During most of this time, it was busy organizing, gaining material, and trying to spread its message (1). Finally, with the Russian invasion of U
kraine in February 2022, they decided it was the time to increase their visibility to gain support for the anti-war movement and organize attacks against elements critical to the war effort. As one BOAK partisan said, “if not now, then when?” (2).
As the war began to rage, the group escalated violence against the war effort both in Belarus and Russia, with attacks reported from Vladivostok in the east to Rostov-on-Don in the west.
BOAK’s claimed attacks include the sabotage of a railway line in November 2022 and the burning of an FSB (the Russian secret police) office in April 2023, among many others. The actions help to demonstrate that there are Russians who do not support the war in Ukraine and are willing to take drastic action to demonstrate this. (3)
Ideology & Objectives
As their name states, BOAK adheres to anarcho-communism. As opposed to the state-centered, top-down communism implemented in the former Soviet Union and other states, anarcho-communism seeks a highly decentralized, stateless system, where hierarchies are abolished, people rule via direct democracy, and goods are communally owned and distributed (4). This puts them at odds with the Russian Communist Party, which embraces Stalinism and has largely been supportive of the invasion. (5)
Worried that a victory for Russia in Ukraine would be a triumph for reactionary elements in their home countries, BOAK is willing to work with other, ideologically different groups to bring down the governments of Putin and Lukashenko. One BOAK activist hopes that “maybe the libertarian idea of confederation can gain some grounds, since the bloody horror we experience now is a direct result of oppressive and unjust social models of the Empire and the Nation State.” (6)
Military & Political Capabilities
BOAK operates within the suffocating political environment of the Russian Federation and Belarus. Long prison sentences and torture are not uncommon for arrested dissenters. Many, including former President Dimitry Medvedev, have called for the death penalty for those caught committing acts of sabotage. (7) Despite this, BOAK is undeterred. They continue to spread their message using various social media platforms and pages. Most commonly, they use Telegram to spread videos of their attacks and methods of sabotage, hoping to inspire and aid others in acts of resistance.
BOAK manages to be a thorn in Moscow’s side using rudimentary methods of sabotage and simple tools. To derail and delay trains vital to the Russian war effort, the activists claim to only have used tools available at any hardware store. Arson attacks are frequently carried out using Molotov cocktails or other easily homemade bombs. Members of the group have also stated that they are unafraid of using firearms. (8) The group is composed of many cells of varying size and name, but the central cell helps plan movements and distribute funds. BOAK follows a “horizontal command structure,” with decisions being made democratically.(9)
Approach to Resistance
BOAK see themselves as descendants of the Belarusian partisan movement. Inspired by those who took to the woods to combat invading fascist armies, BOAK carried out acts of violence in support of the Ukrainian war effort. At the beginning of the invasion, BOAK claimed responsibility for attacks against cell towers near the border. BOAK plays a significant role in the rail war, damaging train tracks near Russian military bases. Other videos show them lighting recruitment offices and vehicles marked with “Z” (a symbol used on many Russian military vehicles which has become symbol for supporting Putin’s actions) on fire across the country. (10) Several hundred attacks have been reported since the Russian invasion began, though how many can be contributed to BOAK and its associates is unknown. The group utilizes Wikimapia, an open-source tool that includes more in-depth descriptions and labels of locations than general mapping applications to select targets. (11)
International Relations & Potential Alliances
While it supports Ukraine in its war against Russia, it is unknown whether BOAK receives funds or training from any elements within the Ukrainian state. The group rebuffs claims that they are supported by the CIA, with one member stating that they would be using much more sophisticated methods and weapons if they were. Forming ties with various governments could prove difficult, given BOAK’s anti-state ideology, but members have commented that they are in contact with other anarchist cells within Europe. (12)
Though the group does not have any known links to organizations outside of eastern Europe, they have carried out attacks in solidarity with movements globally. In 2019, BOAK claimed responsibility for attacking a cellphone tower owned by a Turkish company in response to Turkey’s offensive against the Kurdish region of Syria known as Rojava. (13) In one interview, a BOAK activist affirmed their support of “all fellow anarchist and other anti-authoritarian revolutionaries, struggling for freedom and justice worldwide. (14)
Regardless of international support, BOAK will most likely continue to carry out acts of resistance. Many of them could face torture, or worse, death if apprehended. For them, the risk is worth it in order to achieve the revolution they claim is necessary.
Works Cited (Chicago-style)
(1) - Vorobyov, N. (2023, January 25). Russian saboteurs seek to Hamper Putin's war machine. Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/russian-saboteurs-seek-to-hamper-putins-war-machine
(2) - Chapple, A. (2023, January 3). 'it's not his country, it's ours': The Russian 'partisans' at war with the Kremlin. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-anti-kremlin-partisans-war-sabotage-jake-hanrahan-film/32205391.html
(3) - WannabeWonk, T. (2023, February 10). Russia's Boak Partisans Act to undermine Moscow's war on Ukraine. Russia's BOAK Partisans Act to Undermine Moscow's War on Ukraine. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.militantwire.com/p/russias-boak-partisans-act-to-undermine
(4) - Fassler, E. (2022, August 31). Russian anarchists are sabotaging railways to stop putin's war on Ukraine. VICE. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/5d3den/russian-anarchists-are-sabotaging-railways-to-stop-putins-war-on-ukraine
(5) - Vorobyov, N. (2023, January 25). Russian saboteurs seek to Hamper Putin's war machine. Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/russian-saboteurs-seek-to-hamper-putins-war-machine
(6) - Ongoing sabotage and resistance to war in Russia and Ukraine: Interview with Boak/Anarchist communist combat organization. libcom.org. (2022, July 18). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://libcom.org/article/ongoing-sabotage-and-resistance-war-russia-and-ukraine-interview-boakanarchist-communist
(7) - O'Connor, T. (2023, April 13). Meet the Russian rebel groups waging war from within Putin's own borders. Newsweek. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.newsweek.com/meet-russian-rebel-groups-waging-war-within-putins-own-borders-1793715
(8) - Hanrahan, J. (Popular Front). 2023, January 2. Partisan '22: Russia's Anti-Putin Underground (Video). YouTube. https://youtu.be/1u1lXr1vShI
(9) - Vorobyov, N. (2023, January 25). Russian saboteurs seek to Hamper Putin's war machine. Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/russian-saboteurs-seek-to-hamper-putins-war-machine
(10) - WannabeWonk, T. (2023, February 10). Russia's Boak Partisans Act to undermine Moscow's war on Ukraine. Russia's BOAK Partisans Act to Undermine Moscow's War on Ukraine. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.militantwire.com/p/russias-boak-partisans-act-to-undermine
(11) - Vorobyov, N. (2023, January 25). Russian saboteurs seek to Hamper Putin's war machine. Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/russian-saboteurs-seek-to-hamper-putins-war-machine
(12) - Hanrahan, J. (Popular Front). 2023, January 2. Partisan '22: Russia's Anti-Putin Underground (Video). YouTube. https://youtu.be/1u1lXr1vShI
(13) - Vorobyov, N. (2023, January 25). Russian saboteurs seek to Hamper Putin's war machine. Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/25/russian-saboteurs-seek-to-hamper-putins-war-machine
(14) - Ongoing sabotage and resistance to war in Russia and Ukraine: Interview with Boak/Anarchist communist combat organization. libcom.org. (2022, July 18). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://libcom.org/article/ongoing-sabotage-and-resistance-war-russia-and-ukraine-interview-boakanarchist-communist
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