Russian Court Jails Two National Bolsheviks

• Created in 1994 by radical writer Eduard Limonov, Eurasianism ideologue Aleksandr Dugin (who soon left the party), and rock musicians Yegor Letov and Sergei Kurikhin.
• Limonov was a member of the Soviet literary underground in the 1960s. He emigrated to the United States in the 1970s, where he became close to American Trotskyites and anarchists.
• Limonov's best-selling novel, "It's Me, Eddie," has been translated into 15 languages.
• The party's official publication is "Limonka" the name, literally "little lemon," is also idiomatic Russian for "grenade."
• The NBP is believed to have several thousand followers, most of them young. They are popularly referred to as "limonovtsii."
• Started as a neo-fascist organization, the party now prefers to describe itself as an opposition group that supports democracy. Its ideology is a mixture of totalitarian and fascist symbols, geopolitical dogma, leftist ideas, and national-patriotic demagoguery.
• President Vladimir Putin is one of the party's constant targets. The party's website lists Putin's "crimes" as election fraud, reforming the Soviet-era benefits system, and the government's response to the Dubrovka and Beslan tragedies.
• The party has gained fame by staging provocative protests and publicly challenging its foes. Some of its favorite stunts include throwing eggs, tomatoes, and mayonnaise at prominent public figures.
• Its emblem combines the Nazis' red-and-white flag with the Soviet hammer and sickle.
• Authorities have continually cracked down on the party. In August 2004, 39 activists were arrested and charged with "attempting to seize power and organize a mass disturbance" after breaking into the presidential administration building.
• In June, the party was outlawed on extremism charges by a Moscow court. Russia's Supreme Court confirmed the ban in November.

Profile: National Bolsheviks, The Party Of 'Direct Action'

RFE/RL Special: The Power Of Youth