Russia's General Prosecutor has directed regional authorities to investigate the People's Liberation Front (NOD) ultranationalist group for extremism.
Prosecutors in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Novosibirsk are to investigate the group, St. Petersburg deputy Boris Vishnevsky wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday.
The NOD is an organization dedicated to “regaining Russia's sovereignty,” according to the group's website. Many members believe that Russia has been under American occupation since the fall of the Soviet Union and want to overturn the country’s 1993 constitution.
The move comes after several incidents involving NOD activists in recent months.
In April, the group's youth wing picketed an award ceremony for high school history students run by the Memorial human rights group. Activists threw eggs and green disinfectant at children and members of the jury, accusing them of trying to re-write Russian history.
Members of the group's branch in Nizhny Novgorod also harassed former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov when he visited the city in February. The opposition politician was forced to cancel a meeting with journalists as a result.
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