Young right-wing extremists from Germany are receiving combat training from Russian white supremacists whom the United States has blacklisted as terrorists, Germany’s Focus news magazine reported Friday.
The U.S. State Department branded the Russian Imperial Movement as a foreign terrorist organization in April, saying it runs two paramilitary training camps in St. Petersburg that have pulled in neo-Nazis from across the Western world. Russia responded by saying the designation does not aid in the fight against terrorism.
RIM describes itself as an Orthodox Christian and national-patriotic organization tasked with protecting traditional Russian values and supporting Russian expansion. Russia hasn’t added the group to its list of banned terrorist organizations but has blacklisted some of its publications as extremist.