The Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) is a militant monarchist organization whose fighters are trained at two centers in Russia and have reportedly fought other countries and bombed asylum centers. The U.S. State Department designated RIM and three of its leaders as specially designated global terrorists in April 2020.
After the State Department designated the group, its website was closed for reconstruction, and the materials it published became more moderate than they had been. Thereafter it was reported that officers from the Russian government's Internal Affairs Ministry's Main Directorate for Combating Extremism had begun monitoring the group. RIM is currently active on multiple social media platforms. RIM's activities and published materials can be divided into at least three categories: Orthodox Christianity; denying the danger of COVID-19 and discouraging others from wearing medical masks; and internal Russian policy.
YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO THE MEMRI DOMESTIC TERRORISM THREAT MONITOR (DTTM) TO READ THE FULL REPORT. GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA CAN REQUEST A COPY BY WRITING TO DTTMSUBS@MEMRI.ORG WITH THE REPORT TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE.
