A brief overview of the Russian neo-Nazi group Rusich. DShRG is an abbreviation for reconnaissance, sabotage, and assault group. The thread is mostly comprised of translated Telegram posts from their official channel: https://t.me/rusichdshrg
The channel was created on June 14, 2022. The very first post claims that the channel was set up by the group's command.
While it is somewhat common to consider Rusich to be a part of the infamous PMC Wagner, their self-reported early history is quite distinct.
"The idea to create a militarized group of nationalists ready to take part in military conflicts dates to 2009. It became apparent that the then-existing right-wing nationalist movement (already fractured at the time) offered no further opportunities for ethnic Russian nationalists. No one from the right-wing aspired to join law enforcement or government, owned almost no weapons and possessed no skills to use them.
In 2009 a small-in-number group of associates, seeking to gain knowledge and skill in the military arts, split from the currently banned nationalist organization (the basis of that group still takes part in the fighting as part of the Rusich group) and became a precursor to the DShRG Rusich.
An Armed Forces of the Russian Federation officer, fired for his participation in the right-wing nationalist movement, organized training; the materiel supply necessary for the exercises was scant. The group possessed civilian hunting arms and dummy assault rifles; the entire St. Petersburg oblast served as a range.
The personnel primarily underwent live fire and tactical training, there were many field exercises for survival skills development. Chechen war veterans and servicemen sharing the group’s views were invited as instructors.
There was no persecution by law enforcement for two reasons: 1. The group looked for radicals and there was no time for those who “played games,” 2. The events were unmarked [by symbols] and thus garnered no interest.
Over time, as the knowledge and materiel base grew, exercises became larger in scale. Cooperation with military-patriotic clubs started, and the study of new disciplines started, such as topography, field medical care, and EOD.
Participation in the life of the nationalist movement stopped completely.
Airsoft and paintball games, hunting expeditions, firing range attendance were a part of the training.
By 2012 a core of the group was formed, that knew what to aspire to. The next personnel development stage of the future DShRG Rusich’s fighter was military service with the VDV and RFAF SOF units."
As far I can tell the group first took part in combat in 2014 in eastern Ukraine. A comprehensive overview of the group was published by New America:
Wagner Group Contingent Rusich on the Move Again
The report finds: "...one of the group’s founding members, Alexey Milchakov, also served in the Airborne Troops (VDV), a key feeder for Wagner Group fighters, many of whom, in the first wave of deployments in the early 2000s, fought with the special operations forces...”
The group is part of Russia's military network: "...an analysis by New America found extensive overlap between Rusich’s online circles and those of both VDV airborne paratrooper units of the Russian military and the Russian Imperial Movement...”