Movement Narodnaya Volya claims responsibility for sawing down crosses in Russia

Moscow, August 28, Interfax – A movement called Narodnaya Volya (which translates as “people’s will”) has posted a statement on the Internet claiming liability for sawing down several crosses in two Russian regions on August 25. “The cutting down of the Russia Orthodox Church crosses in the village of Smelovsky, Verkhneuralsky District of the Chelyabinsk Region and in the city district Varavino-Faktoriya in Arkhangelsk is part of our operation against the Russian Orthodox Church called Krestopoval and was carried out by the military wing of our Movement, the flight combat units Neizvestnyye [the Unknown],” Narodnaya Volya said on Facebook. According to earlier reports, unknown individuals on August 25 sawed down three crosses installed at the entrance of the village of Smelovsky, Verkhneuralsky District of the Chelyabinsk Region, in July 2012.