A violent group known as The Base, already listed as a terrorist organization in several countries, is now facing a huge scandal. Alleged former members have come forward claiming that their leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, might secretly be working for Russia’s intelligence services.
Nazzaro, who said he was a U.S. army veteran and a former Pentagon contractor, led The Base while living in Russia. But according to the former members, many things didn’t make sense. They noticed that although Nazzaro claimed military experience, he once admitted at a shooting range that he had never even touched a shotgun. They also caught him texting quickly and fluently in Russian, which raised serious doubts about who he really was working for.
One alarming detail the members shared was that as soon as authorities started arresting Base members, Nazzaro quickly flew back to Russia. His strange behavior, his Russian language skills, and his travels made them suspect that the group was being used by Russia’s secret agency, the FSB, without the members even realizing it.
Secret Missions and Strange Activities in Ukraine
The situation grew even more suspicious when The Base started encouraging dangerous operations inside Ukraine, a country currently fighting off a Russian invasion. Videos recently appeared online showing members of The Base burning Ukrainian military vehicles, damaging electrical boxes, and causing destruction inside the country.
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The alleged former members now believe that these missions are not just extremist acts, but organized efforts to weaken Ukraine from within — exactly what Russia would want. They also say that The Base has started offering cash rewards for sabotage and assassination missions, which suggests a bigger and much more serious plan.
According to these sources, the Ukraine operation is the biggest and most organized mission The Base has ever attempted. They point out that this kind of chaos helps Russia by disrupting Ukraine’s defenses and causing fear among its people.
Russian Ties and the Growing Mystery Around Nazzaro
Several clues hint at strong Russian connections. For example, the Telegram account promoting The Base’s new Ukraine cell suddenly grew to tens of thousands of followers. Experts believe this huge jump was caused by paying for bot armies — fake online accounts made to look like real followers.
Observers also raised questions about how The Base suddenly had so much money — enough to buy bots, pay for online promotion, and offer rewards for sabotage. Some suspect the funding is coming from Russian sources.
Even more concerning, much of The Base’s online activity is happening on Russian platforms like VK, and their recruitment email is a Mail.ru address — a service closely tied to Russian political circles.
In 2020, Rinaldo Nazzaro even appeared on Russian state television. In the interview, he denied ever having contact with Russian intelligence. However, many found it strange that a leader of an international extremist group would be given airtime on Russian state media, especially while living safely in Russia.
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Joshua Fisher-Birch, an analyst who studies far-right extremism, noted that the new accusations are particularly interesting because they are coming from people who were once inside the group and would have firsthand knowledge of how it operated.
The former members now believe that The Base was never just a hate group. Instead, they claim it was a cover to carry out operations that support Russia’s goals, all while pretending to be just another extremist organization.