Former members of an international neo-Nazi cell are alleging that their leader is a Kremlin spy, the Guardian reported on Thursday.
The allegations against Rinaldo Nazzaro, the leader of the Base, a EU- and UK-designated terrorist group, could bring additional insight to the terror group's attempts to assassinate and politically sabotage Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Guardian reported that extremist right-wing Telegram groups are circulating a website with testimonies from former Base members who claim that the white supremacist organization is a shadow organization for the Russian intelligence service (FSB).
The alleged former members report that they were suspicious of Nazzaro's background, even though he claimed to be a former Pentagon contractor and US military veteran.
“[Nazzaro] presented himself as an army veteran who has been to Afghanistan; however, during gun ranges, he mentioned how he’s never touched a shotgun in his life,” one self-proclaimed former Base member wrote on the website.
White supremacist backs Kremlin
The Guardian noted in the report that while it had come to light that Nazzaro had worked as a drone targeting analyst for American special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, there were no records of him being in ground combat.
Another report noted Nazzaro's fluency in Russian, which led some members to believe that he was a Kremlin asset.
“Things started becoming really SUS when a few members could see him texting on the phone in Russian, in a fluent/at least a good level as he was writing fast and seemingly naturally, all of that alone led to the belief that [Nazzaro] might be a Russian federal asset, and at that time it was already obvious that he was flying to Russia back and forth."
Other members reported on the website that during a surge of arrests of Base members, he “gets into a plane to Russia."
The former Base members said that the group's latest mission in Ukraine, where it offers cash for carrying out assassination and sabotage missions, is a Russian intelligence operation. The Guardian reported that videos show Base members burning Ukrainian military vehicles or electrical boxes in an attempt to undermine Zelensky's government.
The new Base cell in Ukraine is “bigger than any other fedop” Nazzaro had done, the alleged members reported.
“[Thus] not only are they trying to disrupt the system but also dislocate the Ukrainian forces which AGAIN furthers the interests of Russia,” they wrote.
The Guardian also reported that whoever is running the Bases' Telegram account has paid for tens of thousands of bot followers.
“How does The Base have money for so [many] bots and rewards for actions?” a user affiliated with the website wrote on Telegram. “I wonder who funds them.”
Nazzaro denies the allegations and even went on Russian state television to affirm to reporters that he had “never had any contact with any Russian security services."
The Guardian noted his extensive use of Russian social media platforms: Nazzaro runs the Base's VK account, where calls for members to carry out attacks in Ukraine were first seen. Additionally, the Base's recruitment email is a Mail.ru address, which the Guardian noted is the email provider of a well-known ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.