of President Vladimir Putin's government and argued that state institutions such as the bureaucracy, the police and the courts were corrupt and authoritarian. Counterculture Since its formation, the National Bolshevik Party had relationships with Russian counterculture. National Bolsheviks often used punk-stylized shock aesthetics in their propaganda. NBP attracted a significant number of artists, punk musicians and rock bands. Criticism Some western critics commented on its heavy use of totalitarian and fascist symbols and its "national-patriotic demagoguery," and academics have described the group as neo-fascist. In the Russian media, the National Bolshevik Party was usually referred to as a far-left youth movement; however, some critics (including ex-members) allege that the NBP is an organisation dedicated to carry out a colour revolution in Russia. History Origins (1993–1998) In 1992, Eduard Limonov founded the National Bolshevik Front (NBF) as an amalgamation of six minor groups. Aleksandr Dugin was among the earliest members and was instrumental in convincing Limonov to enter politics. The party first attracted attention in 1992 when two members were arrested for possessing grenades. The incident gave the NBP publicity for a boycott campaign they were organizing against Western goods. The NBF joined forces with the National Salvation Front (a broad coalition of Russian communists and nationalists). The FNS was one of the leading groups involved in the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, and Limonov participated in the clashes near the White House in Moscow on the side of the Anti-Yeltsin opposition. When others within the coalition began to speak out against the NBF, it withdrew from the alliance. On 1 May 1993, Limonov and Dugin signed a declaration of founding the NBP. On 28 November 1994, Limonov founded the newspaper Limonka, the official organ of the NBP. In 1998, Dugin left the NBP as a result of a conflict with other members of the party. This led to the party moving further left in Russia's political spectrum, and lead to members of the party denouncing Dugin and his group as fascists. Arrest of Eduard Limonov (2001–2003) Limonov and some National Bolsheviks were jailed in April 2001 on charges of terrorism, the forced overthrow of the constitutional order, and the illegal purchase of weapons. Based on an article published in Limonka under Limonov's byline, the government accused Limonov of planning to start an armed insurgency in Kazakhstan. After the arrest of the leader, members of the party started activities (including direct action