The Vatican has launched a sanctions investigation into Russkaya Obshina, a Russian nationalist vigilante group that has carried out more than 900 raids since 2023 targeting migrants, LGBTQ+ people, and venues deemed incompatible with traditional values. A BBC investigation found the group, which operates with apparent Kremlin tolerance and has received funding linked to figures close to Putin's inner circle, has been joined by law enforcement in roughly a third of its raids. The inquiry raises broader concerns about Western companies trading with financiers connected to the group, whose activities include involvement in the war in Ukraine alongside a sanctioned far-right military unit.