Ultra-nationalists and pro-Putin Simeon ‘Aussie Cossack’ Boikov remain out of reach for the Australian Federal Police

An Australian pro-Putin YouTuber has sought refuge at the Russian consulate in Sydney following an assault charge.

Ultra-nationalists who gloated over Russian mercenary forces grinding to a bloody victory in Ukraine during a celebration in Sydney have been labelled as ‘fascists’ and a ‘terrorist group’ by outraged social media users.

Footage of the party held on the grounds of the Russian consulate on Tuesday night was posted by Drew Pavlou, who is best known as an outspoken activist against China‘s ruling Communist Party.

Mr Pavlou, labelled the gathering as ‘fascist’ on Twitter, demanded Australian authorities treated supporters of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a terror threat and called for the consulate to be shut down.

The video shows a group of about 50 men and male youths clad almost entirely in black standing outside behind a table, with many carrying Russian flags or holding up a banner with the insignia of the private military group Wagner.

The main speaker wore a top displaying a large white Z, which is a symbol showing support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where this week, Wagner forces managed to take the eastern city of Bahmut.

‘We salute the Russian Wagner Group,’ the main speaker says in Russian.   

‘We salute the Russian military. We congratulate you on liberating the city of Bahmut. It is our Artemovsk now.’

Artemovsk was the name given to the city under the USSR, the Russian-ruled Communist goliath that formed after WWII until it split apart from the 1990s onwards. 

The speaker goes on to say to his “brothers’ that ‘here in far away Australia we support you’. 

‘We are with you, with our heart and soul. Liberate our territories. Everything will be Russia! Thank you Wagner. Keep it going,’ he says before leading a round of cheers.

A second speaker than continues in English. 

‘God bless all the Russian military who are fighting for our freedom. God bless in particular the Wagner group and in particular god bless Putin,’ he says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022 outraging leaders from around the world and drawing both countries into a prolonged bloodbath. 

Mr Pavlou (pictured at Brisbane rally in 2020) called for action to be taken against those supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They said a small group were attending the event and left shortly after the officers arrived.  No arrests or other action was taken. 

The galling celebration infuriated Twitter users with one demanding those appearing in the video be ‘deported to Russia’.

‘If they can defend the invasion…then let them fight in it,’ the appalled user wrote. Mr Pavlou called for action by Australian authorities to make such gatherings illegal.  

‘I just think it is shocking they are allowed to do this in Australia and the government is not taking steps to criminalise this type of conduct,’ he said.

‘They are advocating mass murder. They are advocating the invasion of a sovereign nation and the mass murder of its citizens. ‘I think it’s no better than an ISIS rally, a terrorist rally. 

‘They should be designated as a domestic terrorist group, just like we designate ISIS as a terror organisation in Australia and we would not be allowing ISIS supporters to hold rallies.’

ISIS is a radical Islamist group sanctioned around the world for its violence against civilians. 

Mr Pavlou argued the pro-Putin supporters in Australia posed a real danger. ‘These guys are a domestic terror threat and we should be treating them as a domestic terror threat,’ he said. 

‘These guys have made numerous death threats against people in Australia, they should be investigating these guys.’ ‘We need to be looking into whether these guys have weapons, whether they are a threat to the Australian public.’

Rally organiser Simeon Boikov, who brands himself the Aussie Cossack, has been holed up in the consulate since an arrest warrant was issued after he failed to turn up for a court hearing in January. 

He is accused of assaulting a 76-year-old man at a rally in support of Ukraine in December at Sydney’s Town Hall. Mr Pavlous accused Mr Boikov of a calling for the murder of Alexei Navalny, a leading Russian opponent of the Putin regime. 

Speaking to ABC current affairs show Four Corners in 2021 Mr Boikov called for Mr Navalny ‘to be liquidated’.  

‘He thinks the Russian opposition should be killed so why should we protect his freedom of speech,’ Mr Pavlou said. ‘So way are we protecting their right to free speech if they had their way they would kill everyone.’

The passionate activist also called for action to taken against the Russian consulate for hosting the gathering. ‘What purpose do they serve?’ he asked.

‘They are just holding these pro-terror rallies and they are trying to intimidate Ukrainians with this sort of stuff, why are we tolerating this type of conduct.’

‘Every day there is a new provocation with these Z signs and the Wagner flags while they are slaughtering Ukrainian civilians.’

© 2024, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.