RuPol, religious studies very bad news, death
So. If a Russian colleague is to be believed, a Pastafarian (!) has committed suicide by self-immolation. Because the local Pastafarian group had been raided by the police. Accused of "conducting activities of an undesirable organization". WIth a hefty dose of anti-cult narrative thrown in.
Folks, if you've got friends in Russia--especially if they're neopagans or occultists, and especially if they're involved in ANY activism--they've got to be ready to run.
I'd been screaming at folks I know since the Jehova's Witnesses cases began a few years back, because they're the classic canaries in the coal mine, any and all government tactics are tested on them first in Russia. But I've never had any luck.
But now shit really has hit the fan.
Law enforcement in Russia is non-linear. They may intensify prosecution of a single penal code article in one town or region simply because they need statistics at the end of quarter, then go back to a non-intervention mode. This has nothing to do with rule of law obviously, but that's how they operate.
@kravietz Non-linear, but also conducted in waves. There's a relatively coherent strategy. existant well since the Soviet Union, for when to hit certain groups and when to leave them alone in order to let new members come out of the woodwork. This wave's been in preparation for a good few years now, it's fairly noticeable.