Mikhail ‘Pitbull’ Turkanov: The Rise of Russian Soccer Hooligan Unit ‘Española’ in Ukraine
Peter Smith and Lucas Webber
Mikhail “Pitbull” Turkanov during an MMA fight. (Source: El Periódico de España)
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When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of the “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine in February 2022, he asserted that the Russian military would carry out the “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine” (TASS, February 24, 2022). The latter part of the statement referred to the elimination of extreme right-wing factions in the Ukrainian government and its armed forces, including the Azov Regiment, Freikorps, and Right Sector (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, April 19, 2023). International media and netizens were quick to point out that Russia has its own far-right radicals, such as the “Rusich,” the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), and the soccer hooligan volunteer militia “Española.”
Española plays a key role in appealing to and drawing recruits from Russia’s “ultra-hooligan” communities and promotes support for the war in Ukraine among them (Meduza, April 28, 2023). It is a powerful force in the Russian far-right military ecosystem and is distinct from, yet supportive of, the neo-Nazi Rusich group and the hard-line Orthodox RIM. Española leverages its robust online propaganda apparatus and real-world domestic networks, while also taking part in community programs and humanitarian work inside occupied regions of Ukraine to boost its profile and grow its ranks.
The most visible Española figure is the former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Saint Petersburg-based Zenit Football Club hooligan Mikhail “Pitbull” Turkanov. Turkanov has a large online presence, was wounded twice in combat in the Zaporizhzhia region and Bakhmut, and has received some of the Russian military’s highest awards. He has also helped propel Española into the Russian mainstream by appearing on cable television and being profiled in the media (Pitbull’s Telegram, December 10, 2023).
Española
Española is a volunteer brigade that exists independently of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Recent recruitment to the group has been handled through the private military company Redut (Metro, March 15, 2023). Primarily made up of former soccer hooligans, Española claims to have around 600 soldiers under its command, including artillery and anti-aircraft details, sniper teams, and drone operators (Радио Озоди, November 29, 2023; Española’s VK page, December 4, 2023).
Founded by Stanislav Orlov, a member of the Red-Blue Warriors hooligan group (supporters of CSKA Moscow), the Española unit’s title is derived from his call sign, “Spaniard.” Orlov was previously known for leading Skull and Bones, a reconnaissance company in the DPR in 2014, and he was also the personal assistant to the commander of the DPR’s Horlivka militia (Ridus, April 12). Many members of Española choose to hide their faces and not appear in the many public images released by the unit on its VKontakte page, Telegram channel, and other Russian media. Several others besides Turkanov also post to Telegram on their own pages, sometimes anonymously (Española’s Telegram, May 29, 2023). Others display their faces while using call signs, rather than their real names (Mexican Española’s Telegram, December 7, 2023). Taking on a role on the front lines of the propaganda war, with figures like Turkanov at the center, Española presents a patriotic message from soccer fanatics who have set aside previous differences in exchange for a new nationalist unity. In that sense, the Española hooligan unit has been a bulwark in the public face of the war. This is a far cry from 2018, when Putin enacted penalties to stamp out bands of violent soccer fans ahead of hosting the World Cup (France24, June 27, 2023).
The over 50,000 followers of the Española Telegram channel—and Turkanov’s own 20,000-plus followers on the same platform—are presented with a stark but filtered image of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, alongside Turkanov’s personal video messages and combat footage. Española and Turkanov’s channels have both been used to call out specific members and units of pro-Ukraine forces, including the Russia Volunteer Corps (Pitbull’s Telegram, March 2, 2023). Other times Turkanov has shared edited compilations of clashes (Pitbull’s Telegram, March 4, 2023).
Despite its prominence, Española has continued to lionize the late founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin (Española’s Telegram, September 4). When the Wagner mutiny occurred, Rusich, Española, and Turkanov himself levied criticism at Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD). The failed Russian assault on Vuhledar, which Española participated in, has become important lore and a major grievance in the Russian far-right militarist sphere (The Moscow Times, April 3, 2023). Española and RIM asserted that their men fought much harder than the Russian regular army during the battle. The groups likewise expressed anger over the post-mutiny policy of requiring irregular and volunteer units to sign contracts with the MoD in an attempt by the state and military to consolidate control over these units.
Profiling ‘Pitbull’
Turkanov is a 36-year-old former mixed martial arts fighter born in then-Leningrad in 1987 (Sherdog, July 24). He has most recently been seen fighting in Ukraine for Russia as part of the Española unit. Allegedly the former leader of a support crew for the Zenit Football Club, he joined Española sometime around February 2023 after transferring from another unit. Posts on Telegram from the unit’s official channel indicate he is a commander of Española’s anti-aircraft battery (Española’s Telegram, March 5, 2023).
As an MMA fighter, Turkanov initially gained attention on small amateur fight circuits whose videos were shared across social media. He was the subject of a brief amount of publicity in English-language sports media after the announcement in 2021 that he had been signed for a professional match with AMC Fight Night Global, an MMA promoter that mostly organizes events in Russia and Eastern Europe (Sherdog, February 23, 2023). While he only had one fight with AMC, the prominent swastika, sonnenrad (literally “sun wheel,” a common far right symbol), and other tattoos that used national socialist imagery immediately led to criticism of AMC Fight Night for allowing him to appear on the card. Turkanov told an interviewer in October 2023 that his tattoos are pagan symbols (Фонтанка.ру, October 18, 2023).
Despite a record of seven wins and four losses at the time, Turkanov lost the AMC fight in Sochi in under three minutes. According to his Sherdog fighter profile, he fought one more pro match in St. Petersburg, but lost by submission in the first round (Sherdog, July 24). Prior to these matches, Turkanov had served five years in prison after he was convicted in 2013 for kidnapping and extortion. Turkanov and three other men allegedly forced a victim into a vehicle and coerced him into taking a loan (Фонтанка.ру, October 18, 2023).
Since the Russian War in Ukraine
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Turkanov has risen to hold a high place within the Española unit, which is comprised of a collection of members from different soccer hooligan groups. Turkanov, who has repurposed his MMA moniker “Pitbull” into a nom du guerre, has reportedly been awarded the Russian Order of Courage twice. The first instance was in the Zaporizhzhia area, where he saved a heavily injured commander by dragging him safely through a minefield (Pitbull’s Telegram, December 24, 2023). The second time was for carrying a wounded soldier, by his telling, for “several kilometers” up a winding road while avoiding fire from Ukrainian drones and artillery by hiding in tall grass (lenta.ru, August 20, 2023).
Turkanov has taken on an unusual role as equal-parts soldier and social media influencer. His public persona revolves around fighting against Ukrainian forces, taking media interviews, and regularly posting footage from the front. Amid all of this, Turkanov has found the time to promote the health supplement company attached to the paramilitary group Rusich, with which Española also has ties. Turkanov also posed for photos with Rusich leader Alexey Milchakov, and his channels often share Rusich’s Telegram posts (Rasich Labs Telegram, October 21; Pitbull’s Telegram, August 27, 2023). When a Rusich co-founder, Yan Petrovsky, was arrested in Finland in August 2023, Turkanov stood up for him, personally threatening the Finnish government to refrain from extraditing Petrovsky to Ukraine (Anti-Fascist Europe, August 31, 2023).
Conclusion
As the war in Ukraine increasingly tips in Russia’s strategic favor and with presidential elections approaching in Russia, the government is relying on increased military recruitment in order to maintain the advantage in Ukraine while delaying another official public round of mobilization (to read more on the complicated situation on the front, see Eurasia Daily Monitor, November 20, December 18, December 20, December 21). All signals point to Russia gearing up for a long war of attrition in Ukraine, and it will be vital to attract new recruits to the regular military, private military companies, and irregular volunteer militias like Española (Le Monde, September 26, 2023). Thus, charismatic propaganda figures like Turkanov will continue to play a critical role in recruitment, as Española spearheads the effort to appeal to a sizable base of Russian soccer hooligans. These individuals are skeptical of Moscow’s political elite, but are highly nationalistic and are motivated to fight for their nation and the Russian people.
This article was originally published in Militant Leadership Monitor. Check it out here (requires a paid subscription)!
Peter Smith is an investigative journalist, photographer and researcher covering violent and extremist movements across the globe. He is a reporter with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. Twitter/X: www.twitter.com/MisterEpete
Lucas Webber is a researcher focused on geopolitics and violent non-state actors. He is cofounder and editor at militantwire.com.