BlogSpotting: Nashi and Brenton

Sean Guillory: Nashi's Anti-Brenton Campaign
"Nashi has become one of the populist means to intimidate those it has deemed enemies of Russia and Putin. Welcome to the Komsomol reincarnate."

Martin Kelly: Sack Brenton Now
"To those Russians standing outside the British Embassy on Moscow demanding that [Brenton] apologise, I apologise on his behalf; and hope in all sincerity that the thugs and thieves who have been given shelter in my name in my country will soon be returned to face your justice."

La Russophobe: Kremlin's Youth Cult On Rampage
"Foreign ministry officials privately agree that Nashi's behaviour is outrageous and goes well beyond peaceful protest. But they claim there is little they can do: Nashi is too close to the Kremlin. It has close ties with Vladislav Surkov, the deputy head of the Kremlin administration, as well as Mr Putin himself."

Russian Regime Is Accused of Intimidating British Interests

The British ambassador suffers months of harassment and BBC service in Moscow mysteriously goes off the air after the Litvinenko murder, The Times report.

The pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi has been accused of a systematic campaign of intimidation against the British ambassador in Moscow, Tony Brenton, following his speech at a Russian opposition meeting in July. At the time President Putin accused Brenton of interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs, after the envoy spoke at the Other Russia opposition gathering held before the G8 summit in St Petersburg. more...
Nashi (Ours) has been formed in March 2005 to "put an end to the unnatural union of oligarchs and anti-Semites, liberals and Nazis". However, Nashi itself has often been compared to organizations like the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) or the Komsomol. more...

The Russians are also suspected of a hand in the disruption of the BBC’s Russian Service FM broadcasts in Moscow and St Petersburg, at the height of coverage of the Litvinenko poisoning. more...