Olsi Krutani (Pro-Russian Militant, Italy)

• Full name: Olsi Krutani
• Pseudonym: N/a
• Alternatives: Yuri Sokolov
• Location: Italy
• Affiliation: Krutani, Cataldo and Palmeri Network [KCPN], Essence of Time [SV]

Olsi Krutani (°1981) is an Albanian immigrant who lives in Milan. He maintained to be a former Russian paratrooper who had fought in Chechnya.¹ In Italy, Krutani owned a gym and worked as a martial arts instructor.²

Krutani was a supporter of Essence of Time [SV; Sut Vremeni], a Russian communist and nationalist movement that seeks to reestablish the Soviet Union.³ In the mid-2010s, he also became involved with Orazio Gnerre and Luca Pintaudi’s support organization for Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine; the Solidarity Coordination for Donbas [CSD; Coordinamento Solidale per li Donbass].⁴ Together with Gnerre, Krutani went on to promote the Russian cause and recruit fighters for the rebels during martial arts initiation sessions.⁵

Krutani became a key element in an informal constellation of more than a dozen Russophiles who ended up fighting in eastern Ukraine; the Krutani, Cataldo and Palmeri Network [KCPN]. Krutani served as an intermediary between the Italians and Donbas militant forces using his contacts in the Russian martial arts circuit.⁶ He served as the KCPN’s most important recruiter and was apparently seen as its political leader.⁷ Krutani was also active on social media.⁸

On Aug. 01, 2018, police arrested Krutani in Milan during a nation-wide crackdown on the KCPN.⁹ He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for his role in the network in July 2019.¹⁰ Nowadays, he pretends to be a journalist and continues to advocate for the Russian cause.