(1979-06-08) 8 June 1979 (age 44) Rēzekne, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship
Latvia (until 2023)
Russia (since 2022)
Political party
The Other Russia of E. V. Limonov
Other political affiliations
Communist Party of the Russian Federation (from c. 2021)
Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) (in the United Kingdom, from c. 2006)
National Bolshevik Party (1998–2007)
Alma mater
University of Latvia (BSc) Birkbeck, University of London (MMSc)
Occupation
Political activist
Known for
National Bolshevik activism
Nickname
Black Lenin
Military service
Allegiance
Russia
Donetsk People's Republic
Luhansk People's Republic
Branch/service
Interbrigades
Years of service
2014 2015–present
Battles/wars
Russo-Ukrainian War
2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
Annexation of Crimea
War in Donbas
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Beness Khristoferovich Aijo (Russian: Бенес Христоферович Айо; born 8 June 1979), also known by his nickname "Black Lenin"[1] (Russian: Чёрный Ленин), is a Latvian-born Russian political activist. He has been active in the National Bolshevik movement since 1998[2][3] and has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned for his political activities in various countries.
Born in the city of Rēzekne to a Russian mother and a Ugandan father, Aijo spent most of his early life in Latvia before moving to the United Kingdom to pursue his master's degree at Birkbeck College, University of London. He joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) during his time in London and participated in many of the party's demonstrations.
In 2014, Aijo travelled to Crimea to support the Russian annexation of the peninsula. He later participated in pro-Russian demonstrations in the Donbas before being arrested by Ukrainian authorities and deported to Latvia. Aijo fled Latvia in 2015 despite being under criminal investigation and police surveillance. He eventually made his way to the Luhansk People's Republic, where he joined The Other Russia's paramilitary group, the Interbrigades. He later received a passport from the Donetsk People's Republic, which he used to enter Russia in early 2020. The Russian government granted Aijo political asylum in October 2020 and Russian citizenship in December 2022. The Latvian government revoked Aijo's Latvian citizenship in response to the latter.
^Matveeva, Anna (2017). Through Times of Trouble: Conflict in Southeastern Ukraine Explained from Within. Lexington Books. p. 231. ISBN 978-1498-5432-3-1. Black Lenin (Aijo Beness), a Latvian citizen, a son of a Russian mother and a Ugandan father, and a member of Leftist Drugaya Rossia party in Russia and of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist)...
Beness Khristoferovich Aijo (Russian: Бенес Христоферович Айо; born 8 June 1979), also known by his nickname "Black Lenin" (Russian: Чёрный Ленин), is...
marginal there. The Latvian branch has been led by Vladimir Linderman and AijoBeness. In 2003, Linderman was accused of storing explosives and of calling...
Igor Plotnitsky. One prominent member was Latvian National Bolshevik BenessAijo, nicknamed "Black Lenin". "Воинствующий Эдичка Лимонов и его нацболы...
ends of the political spectrum, caused Niekisch's National Bolsheviks to be a force with little support. Although anti-Jewish and in favour of a totalitarian...
National-Bolsheviks? by Andrei Dmitriev An interview with national-bolshevik BenessAijo Niekisch Translation Project Arplan - National Bolshevism National Bolshevism...
the time described as "National Bolsheviks", but would retroactively also be cited as examples of the Querfront strategy. Later, explicit National Bolsheviks...
2015, it reportedly had less than ten members, and was later disbanded. BenessAijo, a Latvian National Bolshevik of Ugandan and Russian descent, was arrested...
be sent to prophylactic health examination." In 2014, Dugin in an interview to Der Spiegel confirmed that he considers the opponents of Putin to be mentally...
American far-right groups. Heimbach stated that "For us, to be truly anti-capitalist is to be a nationalist. Nationalism is a bulwark against capitalist...
November 2012). "Ko tagad dara bijušie skaļie "nacboli": Neļķu Alīna, AijoBeness, Mauzeris…". Jauns.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 18...
began to grow. In the same year, the government forbade civil servants to be members. In the provincial elections of 1935, the party gained almost eight...
part in the rise to power of Italian fascism, the Exhibition was supposed to be, in Mussolini's own words, "an offering of faith which the old comrades hand...
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