Latest news with #RinaldoNazzaro
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Is Russia co-opting US far-right groups to attack western democracies?
A former Pentagon contractor works with secretive sections of US special forces, then ups and moves to Russia. He gets married, radicalizes and starts popping up on Telegram channels as the leader of a neo-Nazi terrorist group recruiting Americans. Soon, allegations swirl that he is a Russian spy. While this sounds like something Tom Clancy would write, it is reality: Rinaldo Nazzaro, better known as the leader of the Base, once worked in drone targeting with the US Special Operations Command in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recently, the Guardian revealed allegations from inside the Base that he was long suspected of working with the FSB, one of Russia's main intelligence services. If true, the startling revelation about Nazzaro fits into the Kremlin's well-documented global mission of co-opting far-right and criminal organizations to carry out attacks on western democracies. That mission is very much alive and well. 'The Kremlin plays the long game and is highly invested in developing assets that can be used to wreak havoc in the west,' said Colin Clarke, a geopolitics expert and director of research at the Soufan Center who has closely followed Russia's flurry of sabotage operations around the world. 'Russian intelligence services are using far-right terror groups to their advantage.' Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, world governments have been on edge: without the unlimited military resources it had during the cold war era, the Kremlin has turned to the tactics of hybrid warfare to undermine its enemies and neighbors. A spate of suspected covert assassinations, arsons and sabotage in the west have followed. 'Russia has also been accused of funding far-right political parties, which can serve as a Trojan horse of sorts for more nefarious operations,' said Clarke. Part of this global mission has included using disinformation to stoke xenophobic online sentiments in Britain and elsewhere. Laundering cash payments to far-right political parties across Europe through dodgy media outlets has also become a mainstay in the Kremlin playbook. But in some other cases, using connections through its globally designated terror group the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), the Kremlin has provided on-the-ground paramilitary training to Swedish extremists outside their country and then sent them back. In another separate incident, Russia was suspected of having a hand in getting Polish militants to attempt a false flag attack in Ukraine. 'Since Moscow can be strategic when it comes to state-sponsored terrorism, the Kremlin may be cultivating relationships with these groups as a form of strategic depth, saving them for a rainy day so to speak,' Clarke explained, referring to the Base. 'In some ways, it's similar to how countries like Iran and Pakistan maintain linkages with terrorist groups.' In October, the head of the UK's domestic intelligence service, MI5, accused Russian agents of being behind 'actions conducted with increasing recklessness' on European and British soil. Stateside, there is not the same extensive evidence of similar direct action via Kremlin assets using far-right extremist groups – but there has been no shortage of suspicions. 'That was a joke going around and we never confirmed it, but you tell me,' said Scott Payne, a former FBI undercover agent who infiltrated the Base, about Nazzaro's links to Russian handlers. 'You got a guy who is a citizen, graduated from Villanova, [worked] somewhere in the army, flipped, radicalized, and then moved to St Petersburg, Russia, and has a Russian wife and kids.' Payne, who recently released the memoir Code Name: Pale Horse about his experiences in the Base and other assignments with the far right as a bureau agent, explained that Nazzaro set off alarm bells both inside his group and the FBI. 'I didn't confirm it, but I was told they had tracked a million dollars going through his account, but all he was doing was supposed to be teaching English?' Payne said. 'It goes with the [modus operandi], right? If you're talking about foreign influence [operations].' Nazzaro, who appeared in a widely panned interview on Russian state television in 2020 denying that he was an agent of their government, has roundly denied any claims he has nefarious government backers. 'The news media has recently, once again, dragged out the old and tired accusation of me being a government agent,' Nazzaro said in a Telegram statement released in late April. 'I have never had contact with Russian security services.' But in April, the Base unveiled a Ukrainian cell offering operatives money for assassinating politicians in the country or attacking police and military targets. Backlash followed, with Ukrainian and American far-right Telegram accounts accusing Nazzaro of being a spy in league with Russia. It also coincided with reports that Russia was enhancing its recruitment of Ukrainian locals, whom it is sending on suicide missions in the Kherson region. 'How does the Base have money for so [many] bots and rewards for actions?' speculated one anti-Nazzaro user affiliated with the Base on Telegram. 'I wonder who funds them.' Sources inside the US intelligence community had previously said there were suspicions Nazzaro was working for or being financed by Russian security services. At one point, given his residence in St Petersburg, the former nerve center of the infamous mercenary outfit the Wagner Group, theories arose that he could be working with it. For a time, Wagner had enjoyed a close relationship with the RIM and other neo-Nazi groups as it was ambitiously looking to partner with foreign elements and increase its global reach. Clarke noted that the news that Nazzaro was purportedly acting under the direction of the Kremlin was not shocking to analysts in or outside government. 'If this is true, it will be interesting to see how Nazzaro was recruited,' he said. 'I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Russia is maintaining relationships with far-right groups throughout the globe, from Latin America to eastern Europe and beyond.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alleged former members of neo-Nazi group claim its leader is Russian spy
Alleged former members of an international neo-Nazi terrorist organization are claiming its Russia-based and American leader is a Kremlin spy, according to online records reviewed by the Guardian. The allegation that Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former Pentagon contractor and founder of the Base, listed as a designated terrorist organization all over the world, is an alleged Russian intelligence asset could bring new meaning to his group's latest effort: sabotage and assassination missions inside Ukraine to weaken the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Related: US neo-Nazi group with Russia-based leader calls for targeted Ukraine attacks A website circulating on far-right Telegram channels is claiming to speak on behalf of former members of the Base and said it was 'exposing' the group for what it really is: the cutout of Russia's federal intelligence agency, the FSB. The members allege that they were always suspicious of Nazzaro's behavior and worried about who his handlers really were. '[Nazzaro] presented himself as an army veteran who has been to Afghanistan, however during gun ranges he mentioned how he's never touched a shotgun in his life,' wrote the members. 'Things started becoming really SUS when a few members could see him texting on the phone in Russian, in a fluent/at least a good level as he was writing fast and seemingly naturally, all of that alone led to the belief that [Nazzaro] might be a Russian federal asset, and at that time it was already obvious that he was flying to Russia back and forth.' For example, when a number of Base members were first being arrested, they noted he quickly, 'gets into a plane to Russia'. During the height of the Base's activities, it came to light that Nazzaro had worked in a top secret capacity as a drone targeting analyst for American special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there were no records of him being in ground combat. The ex-members also claimed how the Base's latest venture into Ukraine, where it is offering cash for operatives to carry out assassination and sabotage missions, is a Russian intelligence operation that is gaining traction. Recent videos online show the Base burning military vehicles with Ukrainian license plates, electrical boxes, and other activities inside the country. The writers said the new Base cell in Ukraine was 'bigger than any other fedop' carried out by Nazzaro. '[Thus] not only are they trying to disrupt the system but also dislocate the Ukrainian forces which AGAIN furthers the interests of Russia,' they said. Other evidence provided to the Guardian shows that whoever is running the account for the Base's Ukraine cell on Telegram, has paid for a bot army to up its follower numbers into the tens of thousands. 'How does The Base have money for so [many] bots and rewards for actions?' wrote a user affiliated with the website on Telegram. 'I wonder who funds them.' Nazzaro has increasingly leaned on Russian digital infrastructure to operate his global organization. Posts calling for attacks on Ukraine first appeared on the Base's VK account, which is hosted in Russia and run by Nazzaro. The recruitment email for the Base is also a address – the email provider of a well-known ally of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Nazzaro, however, has repeatedly maintained that he is not affiliated with any spy agencies, even making an uncanny appearance on Kremlin state television in 2020, telling a reporter that he 'never had any contact with any Russian security services', something the ex-members also reference. 'That these accusations are also coming from alleged former members of the group is particularly interesting, given inside knowledge of the group they may have and Nazzaro's role within the global accelerationist white power movement,' said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a far-right analyst who saw the website and allegations circulating.
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Alleged former members of neo-Nazi group claim its leader is Russian spy
Alleged former members of an international neo-Nazi terrorist organization are claiming its Russia-based and American leader is a Kremlin spy, according to online records reviewed by the Guardian. The allegation that Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former Pentagon contractor and founder of the Base, listed as a designated terrorist organization all over the world, is an alleged Russian intelligence asset could bring new meaning to his group's latest effort: sabotage and assassination missions inside of Ukraine to weaken the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A website circulating on far-right Telegram channels is claiming to speak on behalf of former members of the Base and said it was 'exposing' the group for what it really is: the cut out of Russia's federal intelligence agency, the FSB. The members allege that they were always suspicious of Nazzaro's behavior and worried about who his handlers really were. '[Nazzaro] presented himself as an army veteran who has been to Afghanistan, however during gun ranges he mentioned how he's never touched a shotgun in his life,' wrote the members. 'Things started becoming really SUS when a few members could see him texting on the phone in Russian, in a fluent/at least a good level as he was writing fast and seemingly naturally, all of that alone led to the belief that [Nazzaro] might be a Russian federal asset, and at that time it was already obvious that he was flying to Russia back and forth.' For example, when a number of Base members were first being arrested, they noted he quickly, 'gets into a plane to Russia'. During the height of the Base's activities, it came to light that Nazzaro had worked in a top secret capacity as a drone targeting analyst for American special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, however there were no records of him being in ground combat. The ex-members also claimed how the Base's latest venture into Ukraine, where it is offering cash for operatives to carry out assassination and sabotage missions, is a Russian intelligence operation that is gaining traction. Recent videos online show the Base burning military vehicles with Ukrainian license plates, electrical boxes, and other activities inside the country. The writers said the new Base cell in Ukraine was 'bigger than any other fedop' carried out by Nazzaro. '[Thus] not only are they trying to disrupt the system but also dislocate the Ukrainian forces which AGAIN furthers the interests of Russia,' they said. Other evidence provided to the Guardian shows that whoever is running the account for the Base's Ukraine cell on Telegram, has paid for a bot army to up its follower numbers into the tens of thousands. 'How does The Base have money for so [many] bots and rewards for actions?' wrote a user affiliated with the website on Telegram. 'I wonder who funds them.' Nazzaro has increasingly leaned on Russian digital infrastructure to operate his global organization. Posts calling for attacks on Ukraine first appeared on the Base's VK account, which is hosted in Russia and run by Nazzaro. The recruitment email for the Base is also a address – the email provider of a well-known ally of Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Nazzaro, however, has repeatedly maintained that he is not affiliated with any spy agencies, even making an uncanny appearance on Kremlin state television in 2020, telling a reporter that he 'never had any contact with any Russian security services', something the ex-members also reference. 'That these accusations are also coming from alleged former members of the group is particularly interesting, given inside knowledge of the group they may have and Nazzaro's role within the global accelerationist white power movement,' said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a far-right analyst who saw the website and allegations circulating.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US neo-Nazi terrorist group pays recruits to carry out attacks in Ukraine, Guardian reports
A U.S. neo-Nazi terrorist group with links to Russia is offering locals payment to carry out attacks, the Guardian reported on April 5. Russia actively tries to recruit civilians in Ukraine to spy on military targets and carry out terrorist attacks throughout the country. On April 3, at least one person was killed in a Kyiv . The Base is a neo-Nazi terrorist group established in 2018. The group's leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, is a U.S. citizen who now lives in , Russia. Nazzaro is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Pentagon employee. Locals are being asked to conduct attacks on "electric power stations, military and police vehicles, military and police personnel, government buildings, (and) politicians' in various cities, including . "Given Russia's connections to the leadership of the Base, including offering sanctuary to its leader Rinaldo Nazzaro, there is a strong chance that this could very well be a Russian intelligence operation," geopolitics expert Colin Clarke the Guardian. The terrorist group was extensively investigated by the FBI since its founding in 2018. Under U.S. President administration, the FBI has cut back on investigations into far-right groups. Previously, the Base did not align itself with . The change likely means the terrorist group is carrying out sabotage across Europe, experts told the Guardian. "Supporting and directing violent non-state actors, including racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists, is just another tool in the Kremlin's hybrid warfare toolkit, and one which has repeatedly demonstrated that it's willing to use," Clarke said. The Base is designated as a terrorist group in various jurisdictions, including , the EU, and the U.K. On April 4, Yuriy Fedko, an official in Dnipro, was killed in a . Police say several possible scenarios are being investigated, including an attack ordered by Russia to destabilize the situation in Ukraine. Read also: Who is Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's Trump-whisperer We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US neo-Nazi group with Russia-based leader calls for targeted Ukraine attacks
A US neo-Nazi terrorist group with a Russia-based leader is calling for targeted assassinations and attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine in an effort to destabilize the country as it carries out ceasefire negotiations with the Kremlin. The Base, which has a web of cells all over the world, was founded in 2018 and became the subject of a relentless FBI counter-terrorism investigation that led to several arrests and world governments officially designating it as a terrorist organization. Now, with the Trump administration pulling the FBI from pursuing the far right, the Base, left unchecked, is trying to export its violence abroad. This is the first time the Base has openly allied itself with the Kremlin's broader geopolitical goals, a sudden change experts say signals its likely involvement in Russian sabotage and propaganda operations now being carried out across Europe. The Base founder and leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, a semi-defected American who worked with US special forces during the war on terror and now lives in Saint Petersburg, has for years garnered suspicions of being a Russian intelligence asset. Even members of the Base mused that he was a spy and grew weary of the source of his cash flow. 'Given Russia's connections to the leadership of the Base, including offering sanctuary to its leader Rinaldo Nazzaro, there is a strong chance that this could very well be a Russian intelligence operation,' said Colin Clarke, a geopolitics expert and director of research at the Soufan Center. 'Supporting and directing violent non-state actors, including racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists, is just another tool in the Kremlin's hybrid warfare toolkit, and one which Moscow has repeatedly demonstrated that it's willing to use.' In posts on Telegram, the Base is offering cash for volunteer operatives and recruits to carry out attacks on, 'electric power stations, military & police vehicles, military & police personnel, government buildings, [Ukrainian] politicians', specifically in Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine. The Base previously demonstrated it can obtain funding from cryptocurrency vectors and allegedly from Nazzaro's own unknown funds. 'The remnants of the Ukrainian authorities understand their weakness, we understand it too,' said the Base. 'The time is now.' The plan was unveiled online last week and is in support of a wider bid to carve out a white nationalist enclave in the Zakarpattia region of Ukraine, something the Base describes as having 'rugged mountainous terrain which is a force multiplier for an unconventional paramilitary force'. Uploaded alongside several of the posts were approximately 50 videos, beginning in late March, captured using an automatically generated geotagging app. They generally show assumed members capturing spray-painted symbols of Ukraine's Base cell on various walls in urban locales, the first sets being in Kyiv and in the port city of Odessa on the Black Sea. A recent set of videos shows eight from the southern city of Mykolaiv and ten showing locations in Kharkiv, a city close to the frontlines and where Ukrainian intelligence has kept a particularly close eye on Russian saboteurs. 'A financial reward for successful action is possible,' said the caption with the Kharkiv post. The latest post from the Base's Ukraine cell is now soliciting donations to an anonymous Monero wallet. The Guardian reviewed all of the videos for their authenticity and they appeared to be recently taken in each of the cities. The Base's Ukrainian ambitions fall in line with a major Kremlin talking point since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine: casting aspersions on the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, himself a Jewish man, as a sort of new Third Reich. While Russia has long sought to portray Ukraine as a bastion for the far right – even though it harbors Nazzaro, uses a neo-Nazi militia alongside its military and makes alliances with European fascists. Emails to the Russian Foreign Ministry, asking about the Base and Nazzaro's presence inside Russia, went unanswered. How real the Base's actual presence in Ukraine currently is, remains unclear and is unlikely to be significant. In 2019, Ukrainian security services deported one of the Base's members for his neo-Nazi activities and trying to enlist in their military. Though they have tried and failed, it is rare for stateside far-right groups to export any real influence into Ukraine. Nazzaro has repeatedly maintained that he is not affiliated with any spy agencies, even making an uncanny appearance on Kremlin state television in 2020, telling a reporter that he 'never had any contact with any Russian security services'. But, curiously, the posts calling for attacks on Ukraine first appeared on the Base's VK account, which is hosted in Russia and run by Nazzaro. The chief recruitment email for the Base is also a address – the email provider of a well-known ally of Russian president, Vladimir Putin. No public charges have been laid against Nazzaro, but he was the subject of an FBI investigation and was once called a justice department 'matter' by a US government official. 'I think this means that Nazzaro remains under the thumb of Russian intelligence,' said Clarke, about Nazzaro's latest ploy in Ukraine. 'Russia likes to collect these kinds of 'useful idiots' that it can then employ to do its dirty work.' Clarke continued: 'Nazzaro simply must do what Russian intelligence makes him do, as he has extremely limited options given his role as the head of a transnational neo-Nazi organization.' Reached on Telegram, Nazzaro said the Base's Ukrainian operations are 'not directed by the Russian government' nor is he. 'I have never had any contact with the security services of Russia,' he added. This isn't the first time the Base, which has made recent strides in rebuilding its American membership, started appearing in Europe. Last year, members were arrested in Belgium, the Netherlands, and in Italy where authorities cracked down on a Base cell that it said had ties to a network of Russian far-right terrorists recruiting from Telegram. 'While neo-Nazi accelerationists often exaggerates their reach, there is no denying the Base's resurgence,' said Steven Rai, an analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue who monitors global extremism for the watchdog organization who spotted the Base's Ukraine posts online. Rai pointed out the Base is 'not bluffing' and that since 2023, it has shown itself in nearly 10 countries, including in February when UK counterterrorism police arrested a 15-year-old boy for plotting attacks on synagogues. 'The Base's operations in Ukraine need to be taken seriously,' said Rai, 'as they have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to attract new recruits who then proceed to plan acts of catastrophic violence'.
