Format18 (russian: Формат18; F18) was a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack r ...

group based in the city of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. It was led by Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich (also known as ''Tesak''), and had close relations with the political party

National Socialist Society )"Nobody except us!"(russian: "Никто, кроме нас!") , flag = , colours = Red Black White , website nso-korpus.org (banned) The National Socialist Society (NSO; russian: Национал-социа� ...

Background

Format18 was initially formed under the name "Creative Studio Format-18" sometime during the end of 2005 in

by Russian racist skinhead

Maxim Martsinkevich Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich (russian: Макси́м Серге́евич Марцинке́вич, 8 May 1984 – 16 September 2020), better known as Tesak (Russian for ''Cleaver'', ''Hatchet'', ''Hand Axe'', ''Machete''), was a Russian neo ...

. The number "18" in the group's name was selected as an alphanumeric code which corresponds to "AH", the initials of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

- with "A" being the 1st letter of the

Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet or Roman alphabet is the collection of letters originally used by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered with the exception of extensions (such as diacritics), it used to write English and the ...

and "H" being the 8th. The site was initially intended as an

internet forum An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least tempora ...

for Russian neo-Nazis, but Martsinkevich and his fellow neo-Nazi associates eventually started to upload their own

video blog A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded i ...

s to the site that discussed the far-right subculture, weightlifting, and paramilitary training. They would also interview bystanders about their views on the presence of non-Slavic immigrants in the Russian Federation. Martsinkevich also published videos of him and other Russian white supremacists promoting hatred towards

Afro-Russians Afro-Russians (russian: Афророссияне, Afrorossiyane) are people of African descent that have migrated to and settled in Russia. The Metis Foundation estimates that there were about 30,000 Afro-Russians in 2013. Terminology Represen ...

and

antifascists Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

- sometimes portrayed in fictional acting scenarios. Maxim Martsinkevich, along with many other individuals affiliated with Format18 had a reputation for recording numerous attacks and even some murders that were carried out on ethnic minorities, immigrants, non-Russians, transients,

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pen ...

, and similar victims alike. Additionally, its members would film humiliating interviews of their political opponents (typically militant

leftists Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...

, and homosexuals) while subjecting them to degradation and abuse. Videos featured on the F18 website were often sold and distributed by the group for profit. It was such types of controversial content that organization attracted widespread attention for. A vast selection of far-right

political music The connection between music and politics, particularly political expression in song, has been seen in many cultures. Music can express anti-establishment or protest themes, including anti-war songs, but pro-establishment ideas are also represent ...

by various neo-Nazi bands and white power artists were also available for purchase. Many of these songs can be heard playing in the background of the videos that were uploaded.

Dissolution and legacy

Format18 was officially designated as an extremist organization in late 2010 by the

Moscow City Court The Moscow City Court (russian: Московский городской суд (Мосгорсуд), Moskovsky gorodskoy sud (Mosgorsud)) is the highest judicial body of the city of Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Моск ...

which resulted in the banning of the group and removal of the ''format18.org'' website. F18 are often credited with popularizing the trend of filming attacks on immigrants and subsequently uploading them to the internet, which has become a popular practice amongst Russian neo-Nazi circles. Maxim Martsinkevich and Format18 are said to have been the inspiration behind the 2009

mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on ...

film ''

Russia 88 ''Russia 88'' (russian: Россия 88, Rossiya 88) is a 2009 Russian mockumentary film directed by Pavel Bardin about Russian neo-Nazis. It was screened in the Panorama section at the Berlin International Film Festival. Director Pavel Bardin won ...

''. The organization has been featured in several documentaries about neo-Nazis in Russia, including ''From Russia With Hate'', ''Credit For Murder'', and ''Ross Kemp on Gangs''.

References

External links

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, 15 August 2007
Format18
on anticompromat.ru

The New Times 9 July 2007 {{Authority control Far-right politics in Russia Neo-Nazi organizations Neo-Nazism in Russia Russian nationalist organizations

Background

Dissolution and legacy

References

Further reading

External links