Moscow Federation of Anarchist Groups
A Russian anarchist political organisation founded in Moscow in 1917 that became a major centre of anarchist propaganda and armed resistance before being suppressed by the Cheka in 1918.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Moscow Federation of Anarchist Groups (MFAG) was a Russian anarchist political organisation formed in Moscow in March 1917, amid the political opening created by the February Revolution. The fall of the tsarist regime brought an amnesty for many political prisoners and exiles, allowing anarchists who had operated underground after the repression of the 1905 Revolution to resume public activity. In Moscow, several existing anarchist and anarcho-syndicalist circles, including groups connected with workers in the food, printing, railway and tanning industries, joined together to create a citywide federation. The organisation established its headquarters in the Merchants’ House, renaming it the House of Anarchy. The Federation was predominantly communist-anarchist, although individualist and syndicalist tendencies were also represented. Its structure relied on voluntary association and admission through existing members and local groups. The organisation’s principal activity was political education and propaganda among industrial workers in Moscow. It concentrated on working-class districts including Lefortovo, Presnya and Sokolniki, and used meetings, resolutions, publications and workplace organising to advance opposition to state authority, capitalism and political repression. After the Russian capital moved from Petrograd to Moscow, the city became a central hub of the Russian anarchist movement, and the MFAG grew into one of the most prominent anarchist organisations in the country. The Federation published Anarkhiia, a newspaper first issued in September 1917. The paper provided a platform for anarchist arguments against parliamentary politics, state socialism and economic exploitation. The organisation’s leading participants included the poet Lev Chernyi, who served as secretary; the polemicist German Askarov, who edited Anarkhiia; the former revolutionary Vladimir Barmash; philosopher Alexei Borovoi; labour organisers Apollon Karelin and the Gordin brothers, Abba and Wolf. The Ukrainian revolutionary Nestor Makhno later characterised the Moscow anarchists he encountered as more inclined toward debate, writing and resolutions than direct action, a criticism that reflected tensions within the wider movement. Relations with the Bolsheviks deteriorated sharply after the October Revolution. The Bolshevik establishment of a centralised government and its signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on 3 March 1918 intensified anarchist opposition. The MFAG relaunched Anarkhiia and called for opposition to every form of state power, including a socialist state. It also organised armed detachments known as the Black Guards. These units were initially presented as a means of preparing for guerrilla resistance against German forces and defending anarchist centres from state repression. In practice, the Federation struggled to control the detachments, some of which carried out unauthorised expropriations. The organisation publicly condemned such actions and introduced additional approval requirements, but the armed groups heightened Bolshevik fears of an independent revolutionary force. On 12 April 1918, the Cheka raided anarchist headquarters throughout Moscow. Fighting broke out at the House of Anarchy between the Black Guards and the security forces. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of Chekists and anarchists, followed by the arrest of more than 500 anarchists and the seizure of the Federation’s headquarters. The Bolshevik authorities presented the operation as a campaign against criminal armed groups, while anarchists viewed it as a political assault on their organisations. Anarkhiia was also closed and ceased publication in July 1918. The Federation survived the raid in clandestine form. Following the attempted assassination of Vladimir Lenin by Fanya Kaplan in August 1918, surviving Black Guard members reportedly considered an armed offensive in Moscow but did not proceed. Lev Chernyi reorganised the MFAG underground, and in 1919 it joined the Underground Anarchists. Members and former members also became involved in wider anarchist activity, including the bombing of the Russian Communist Party headquarters in September 1919. Intensifying repression against anarchist newspapers, trade unions and political organisations drove many activists from Moscow, with some joining the Nabat Confederation of Anarchist Organisations in Ukraine. The MFAG did not re-emerge as an open political organisation and is generally treated as defunct after its clandestine continuation and absorption into underground anarchist networks.
History
The MFAG emerged from the revival of Russian anarchism following the February Revolution of 1917. The provisional government’s amnesty released political prisoners and permitted exiles to return, enabling previously clandestine anarchist circles to organise openly. In Moscow, anarchists had already formed workplace and trade-union groups among food, printing, railway and tanning workers. Representatives of several such circles formed the Federation in March 1917. The organisation occupied the Merchants’ House and renamed it the House of Anarchy. Its membership was mainly communist-anarchist, with individualist and syndicalist participants also present. The Federation used voluntary association and local group autonomy as organisational principles. Its central work was propaganda among Moscow’s workers, especially in Lefortovo, Presnya and Sokolniki. The weekly newspaper Anarkhiia, edited by German Askarov, began publication in September 1917. Lev Chernyi served as secretary, while other prominent members included Vladimir Barmash, Alexei Borovoi, Apollon Karelin and Abba and Wolf Gordin. Moscow’s importance increased when the Bolshevik government moved the capital from Petrograd. The Federation became one of the largest and most influential anarchist organisations in the city, and contemporary observers described the anarchists as an important independent political force. Its public programme rejected state authority and concentrated on revolutionary propaganda rather than participation in formal government. Nestor Makhno later criticised the Moscow movement as overly intellectual and insufficiently active, illustrating the strategic disagreements within Russian anarchism. The October Revolution and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk transformed the Federation’s relationship with the Bolsheviks. The Bolshevik government’s centralisation, repression and territorial concessions to Germany were denounced by the MFAG. Anarkhiia resumed publication and argued for resistance to all states, including a state claiming to be socialist. The Federation formed Black Guard detachments, ostensibly for armed self-defence and possible guerrilla warfare against German forces. These detachments increasingly operated beyond the Federation’s control and were associated with unauthorised expropriations. The MFAG condemned these acts and attempted to impose a multi-member approval process for operations. The Bolsheviks nevertheless treated the armed anarchist presence as a security threat. On 12 April 1918, the Cheka conducted coordinated raids against anarchist centres in Moscow. The Black Guards resisted at the House of Anarchy, producing a battle in which both Chekists and anarchists were killed. The building was seized, more than 500 anarchists were arrested, and the Federation’s public operations were effectively dismantled. The newspaper Anarkhiia was later closed. The MFAG continued clandestinely. In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Lenin in August 1918, surviving Black Guards considered but abandoned an armed attempt to take Moscow. Lev Chernyi reorganised the Federation underground. By 1919 it had merged into or joined the Underground Anarchists, a clandestine network that participated in the bombing of the Russian Communist Party headquarters. Broader repression targeted anarchist publications, unions and political groups, prompting many activists to leave Moscow for Ukraine and other locations. The Federation never regained its earlier public influence and is regarded as defunct after its underground absorption into wider anarchist networks.
- 1919
Underground continuation
[1]The clandestine Federation joined the Underground Anarchists as repression expanded.
- 1918
Black Guards organised
[1]The Federation established armed detachments for self-defence and possible resistance to German intervention and government repression.
- 1918
Cheka suppression
[1]The Cheka raided Moscow anarchist centres on 12 April, seized the House of Anarchy and arrested hundreds of anarchists.
- 1917
Federation founded in Moscow
[1]Several Moscow anarchist groups formed the MFAG in March during the political liberalisation that followed the February Revolution.
- 1917
House of Anarchy established
[1]The Federation took over the Merchants’ House and made it its headquarters under the name House of Anarchy.
- 1917
Anarkhiia launched
[1]The Federation’s weekly newspaper began publication on 13 September, providing a platform for anarchist political arguments.
Products and positioning
A revolutionary anarchist federation positioned against the tsarist, Bolshevik and other forms of state authority, combining worker-focused propaganda with voluntary organisation and, during 1918, armed self-defence.
Political newspaper · 1917
Anarkhiia
Anarkhiia was the Federation’s principal newspaper and propaganda platform. First published weekly in September 1917, it presented arguments against state power, capitalism and political repression, and later promoted resistance to the Bolshevik government and other forms of state authority. The paper was relaunched after the October Revolution but was ultimately suppressed in 1918.
Armed revolutionary detachments · 1918
Black Guards
The Black Guards were armed groups established by the Federation in 1918. They were intended to provide self-defence and prepare for guerrilla resistance, but some detachments conducted unauthorised expropriations and became difficult for the Federation to supervise. Their armed resistance during the Cheka raids contributed to the destruction of the Federation’s open organisation.
Organisational headquarters · 1917
House of Anarchy
The House of Anarchy was the MFAG’s headquarters in a former Merchants’ House in Moscow. It served as a meeting place, organising centre and symbol of the Federation’s public presence. The building became the site of armed resistance during the Cheka’s April 1918 raid and was subsequently seized.
Marketing campaigns
- 1918Armed self-defence and anti-state mobilisation
Moscow
Through the Black Guards and renewed publication of Anarkhiia, the Federation prepared for armed resistance to German intervention and Bolshevik repression.
Outcome. Loss of control over some armed detachments increased tensions with the Bolsheviks and preceded the Cheka raids.
- 1917Moscow worker propaganda campaign
Moscow
The Federation distributed anarchist literature and organised political activity among workers in Moscow’s industrial districts, including Lefortovo, Presnya and Sokolniki.
Outcome. The campaign helped make the Federation a major anarchist political force in the capital.
Brand decisions
1919
Absorption into the Underground AnarchistsM&ABackground
The Federation’s open structure had been dismantled by state repression and its surviving members operated clandestinely.
Action taken
The reorganised Federation joined the Underground Anarchists.
Aftermath
The MFAG ceased to function as a distinct public organisation while some associated activists continued underground activity.
1918
Creation of the Black GuardsStrategyBackground
The Federation faced threats from German military expansion and anticipated repression by the Bolshevik government.
Action taken
It created armed detachments intended for self-defence and revolutionary guerrilla activity.
Aftermath
Some detachments carried out unauthorised expropriations, weakening the Federation’s control and contributing to the Bolshevik decision to suppress Moscow’s anarchist centres.
1918
Attempt to discipline armed detachmentsStrategyBackground
The Federation opposed unauthorised expropriations associated with parts of the Black Guards.
Action taken
It condemned the conduct publicly and required three staff members to approve proposed missions.
Aftermath
The controls did not prevent the Cheka from treating the armed anarchist presence as a serious security threat.
Sources1 sources
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