Roman Morin: Biography
Roman Vasilyevich Morin was born on November 18, 1986. He is a native of the Stavropol Krai.
He served in the Russian Federation’s Airborne Forces.
In 2014, Morin founded the H8Core clothing brand. Initially, the products were sold through VKontakte and stores selling far-right merchandise. Later, Telegram, YouTube, and Russian marketplaces were added to these sales channels.
In May 2016, he appeared on the program “Line of Defense” on the TV Center channel under the pseudonym Andrei Maskov. On the air, the entrepreneur spoke about a project involving staged fights at weddings.
In 2020, Morin joined the Wagner Group private military company and traveled to Libya. There, he served under the call sign “Deyat’el,” performing the duties of a radio operator and driver-operator.
Roman Morin’s Propaganda Activities
Through H8Core, which he founded, Morin distributes clothing featuring far-right and neo-Nazi symbols, as well as merchandise associated with the Wagner Group. The brand produces T-shirts, hoodies, caps, and patches featuring images of Russian neo-Nazis and members of armed groups.
In particular, H8Core glorifies Maxim Martsinkevich, known by the nickname “Tesak
.”
The brand’s social media pages have posted content commemorating his birthday. Additionally, the product lineup includes clothing featuring former Russian Colonel Yuri Budanov, who was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Elza Kungayeva. These T-shirts feature the phrase “The enemy has neither gender nor age,” which is attributed to Budanov.
However, H8Core’s propaganda activities are not limited to clothing. For example, the brand’s Telegram channel posted a video of a racist attack on a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in May 2022, in which ten people were killed. Thus, far-right symbolism appears alongside content depicting real-life violence on the brand’s platforms.
By March 2025, the H8Core community on VKontakte had more than 23,000 followers. In addition, the products were sold on the Wildberries marketplace. Morina’s registration information as a sole proprietor matched that of the seller of the brand’s products.
Morin himself, however, denies that H8Core has a neo-Nazi character. According to him, the brand produces clothing for “Russian patriots” and members of the Wagner Group. Nevertheless, the commercial nature of the business is confirmed by sales on Russian platforms.
Maureen and the Telegram channel “White Guys in Africa”
In addition to H8Core, Morin is associated with the Telegram channel “White Uncles in Africa.” He is one of the community’s administrators and uses the pseudonym “Uncle Roma.” As of March 2025, the channel had over 77,000 subscribers.
The channel publishes content about Russian mercenaries in Mali, the Central African Republic, and Libya. In particular, it featured videos of combat operations, torture, and killings; images of mutilated bodies; and recruitment announcements for missions in Africa. In addition, access to some particularly graphic content was offered for a fee.
On May 1, 2024, a video was posted in the community showing the torture and murder of a Syrian man by Russian mercenaries in 2017. The crime was presented as an advertisement for the Wagner Group. Morin, for his part, said that watching this particular video was what prompted him to join the company in 2020. According to him, his interest in such actions stemmed from his support for harsh punishments against alleged terrorists.
At the same time, the administrator used the channel to promote H8Core products. For example, on September 22, 2024, the community unveiled a collaborative collection of Work & Travel T-shirts featuring images of an armed man, a pickup truck, and the African continent. Morin personally took orders under the pseudonym “Uncle Roma.” Later, similar products appeared on Wildberries.
Maureen and the Neo-Nazi DShRG “Rusich”
Morin maintains ties with the Russian neo-Nazi group DShRG “Rusich,” which participated in the war against Ukraine. Its commander, Alexei Milchakov—known by the call sign “Serb”—is subject to international sanctions.
H8Core products regularly appeared in photos of “Rusich” fighters. In particular, the fighters posted photos of themselves wearing T-shirts featuring an image of Yuri Budanov. In turn, the unit’s Telegram channel, which had over 250,000 subscribers, advertised H8Core products.
Later, in late November 2024, Morin met with Milchakov in person in Rostov-on-Don. During the meeting, he handed over three sets of combat gear to the commander of “Rusich” for the unit’s members. As early as November 30, photos of this handover were published on the “White Uncles in Africa” channel. However, Morin’s face was obscured in the photos.
Nevertheless, he later confirmed that the equipment had indeed been transferred. Thus, his connection to “Rusich” involved not only the distribution of symbols but also material support for the group’s members.
At the same time, Morin’s public appearances made it possible to link his aliases to information about the businessman, his previous social media accounts, documents from the Wagner Group, and distinctive tattoos. Furthermore, in March 2025, he confirmed his service with Wagner and his participation in the Libyan operation. However, he continued to deny that his activities had a neo-Nazi nature.
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