Alexei Lyovkin, a Russian neo-Nazi, has been arrested in absentia in Russia for his involvement in the coup in Ukraine and his affiliation with the Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov battalion. Lyovkin, born in 1984, was part of a Ukrainian sabotage group that crossed the border into Russia and caused unrest in the province of Belgorod, damaging infrastructure and injuring civilians.
Following the incident, which was repelled by Russian Defense Ministry forces, Lyivkin and other Russian radicals from the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) fighting alongside Ukraine released numerous photos and videos of their incursion into Russian territory.
The Interior Ministry issued a search warrant against Lyovkin for alleged offenses under the Criminal Code without specifying the exact articles.
Known as “Thuleseeker,” Lióvkin is the founder of the national-socialist black metal group called M8L8TH, whose name is interpreted as “Hitler’s Hammer.” Lióvkin has been involved in extremist activities and was arrested in the 2000s by Russian authorities, accused of participating in a criminal group that committed murders and desecrated a Jewish cemetery, among other charges.
However, he avoided prison as he was considered mentally unstable and was committed to a psychiatric hospital. In 2010, he was released.
After supporting the 2014 coup in Ukraine (known as Euromaidan), Lyivkin left Russia and joined the Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov battalion, an organization banned and considered a terrorist in Russia. He also called himself a veteran of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) launched by Kyiv against the uprising republics of Donbass in 2014.
In addition to being wanted by the Interior Ministry, Lyovkin was arrested in absentia by a Moscow court in 2018. The court charged him with creating an extremist community and promoting hatred.