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Assaults on U.S. Students Studying in Russia
Safety and Security
Europe - Russia
5 Oct 2006

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OSAC Constituents reported the following:

Overview:
In the last week, OSAC has received reports of three separate assaults on American university students studying abroad in Russia. Although the reports are unrelated and differ in modus operandi, OSAC constituents report that there is a heightening sense of insecurity among American university programs operating in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This report is an update to and can be read in conjunction with the OSAC report Hate Crime and Skinhead Violence in Eastern Europe.

Incident Descriptions:

August 2006: Around midnight, an American student was assaulted by a gang of youths on Kazanskaya Street in St. Petersburg city center directly next to the Kazansky Cathedral. The student had dark features resembling a Caucasian (someone from the Caucasus Region) and was not wearing religious attire or symbols. At the time of the attack, the student and his blond-haired friend were leaving a bar and rushing to the metro. As they approached Nevsky Prospect, the student reported that a group of about 15 young men dressed in regular street attire and without shaved heads approached them. Even though there were other people on the street, the group approached and punched the darker-haired student. The student fell to the ground and the group punched and kicked him for 3-4 minutes. Bystanders did not intervene and his blond-haired companion was not targeted. The young men involved reportedly yelled "Blacks out of Russia" during the incident and did not attempt to rob the student. The student realized later that one attacker was wearing a white t-shirt with a black cross, a white supremacy symbol.

September 2006: An American student walking with an American companion in Moscow was attacked by a group of teenagers. One of the teenagers struck the American in the chest with his elbow. The American then outran the group and escaped further harm. The targeted American was white with dark features, and his companion reported she thought she saw the attackers making a Nazi sign with their hands. The attackers, however, did not make any racial comments and did not resemble skinheads or neo-Nazis. Based upon the student's and the attackers' physical appearances, the student and OSAC contact believe that this was not a racially-motivated crime but a legitimate case of teenage hooliganism, as teenage hooligans often attack other young, white teenage males.

September 2006: On a Sunday night at 9:00 pm, an Asian-American student began walking home from an internet café on Nevsky Prospect. While walking, the student noticed a group of four young men behind him. Out of concern, and because he was still on a street full of people and cafés, the student stepped to the side and let the group pass by. All of the men where in their early twenties and were dressed in normal street clothes and none had shaven heads. Once the group passed, the student began to walk again. The group looked back from time to time. Once the student entered the first street without cafés or Kiosks, three or four more youths arrived and the two groups eventually sandwiched the student. Luckily, the student happened to be at his front door when this occurred and as he had a keypad lock, was able to enter swiftly. As he rushed inside the door, one youth jabbed an 8-inch kitchen knife at the student's throat, missing and hitting his hooded sweatshirt. The student was able to push closed the door and enter his apartment safely.

Significance for the U.S. Private Sector in Russia:

These are the first three incidents of hooligan and skinhead violence reported to OSAC that involved American university students in Russia over the past year. However, as similar assaults have targeted racial and religious minorities of other nationalities, these students were most likely not targeted because of their nationality but because of their physical appearance.

In addition, the OSAC constituent who reported the third attack believes that the student's attackers were "on the hunt," and were specifically roaming the streets looking for someone to victimize. After consulting with an expert on hate crimes, this constituent believes that only one man attacked the student with a knife because it was an initiation ritual and that there is a possibility that this and other groups are coming from the outskirts into the city center to target minorities. This could be one possible explanation as to why the third group of attackers tried to inflict significantly more harm than in the first two attacks. If this is the case, this phenomenon may be an important new trend, as the majority of past attacks occurred in the outskirts of the city where there are fewer students associated with American university programs and employees of American businesses residing.

U.S. University Response:

The universities affected by these incidents report that they feel a heightened sense of insecurity for their minority students and students with dark features who can be confused with the often-targeted Caucasians. One of the affected universities is arranging meetings with other American study abroad programs in St. Petersburg to draw their attention to the recent attacks and to collectively review their security posture.