Russian Imperial Movement

The Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) is a Russian far-right political and militant organization that was founded in Saint Petersburg in 2002. It consists of Christian ultra-nationalist neo-Nazis who ultimately seek the revival of the Russian Empire, which collapsed in 1917. The organization formed a paramilitary wing called the Imperial Legion in 2008 and has deployed troops to several conflict zones around the world, such as Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and the Central African Republic; RIM is particularly notorious for actively recruiting and training far-right Russians and like-minded Westerners to fight for Russian separatist forces in Ukraine from 2014 onward. Additionally, it has provided paramilitary training to other far-right or neo-Nazi organizations in Europe and North America.

Owing to RIM's ideology and activities in Europe and beyond, it has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within Russia, some RIM publications are blacklisted, but the organization itself operates freely and is believed to have ties with Russian intelligence agencies. The organization's founder and current leader is Stanislav Vorobyov, who is sanctioned by the European Union and Switzerland and designated as a terrorist by the United States. The commander of RIM's Imperial Legion is currently Denis Gariyev, who is also sanctioned by the European Union and designated as a terrorist by the United States; and the most recent deputy commander was Denis Nekrasov, who was killed in the Battle of Izium during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.