Loss of squat "Vedro" only strengthened our commitment to go on. We spotted
one suitable abandoned building (they are enough in our city). But there
were signs that somebody was living in the building. We gathered 10 persons
for security reasons, and went for a check-up. We found out that all doors
of the building were tightly blocked, so I decided to climb fences and
squeegees like a spider man.

Angry woman jumped out from like nowhere and went on shouting something
unclear. I tried to come down but slipped and fell. Eventually she kindly
proposed us to get acquaintanced with the building - she was living there.
But it was dirty inside, so she showed us another building which was more
clean - it was only recently abandoned. Actually, only one section of this
block of flats was abandoned, it had three entrances, in remaining building
people were still living which was an obvious security risk.

But we were stunned with cleanliness of apartments, which were closed with
unbroken doors of steel. Water was not a problem either, we just had to
twist a crane in toilet a bit and water was pouring. Proximity to supply of
electricity was also a reason to be happy, so we decided to set up a squat.
So we expressed our gratitude to woman, climbed by drain pipe to third floor
and began smashing door from inside and outside. A proletarian passing by
helped us to break the door and have water running. Apartment was full of
abandoned artworks, so we named it "Gallery".

We found plenty of stuff, we were especially happy after discovery of
conserved slices of ananas, which were consumed immediately. Soon we got
acquaintanced with our new neighbors - a runaway prisoner and a couple with
plenty of dogs. They were living in floor above us.

After some argument with them, we had to move to the next apartment - Rash
skin climbed another drain pipe and opened us door from inside. This
apartment was even more clean and better than the previous one, so we were
not really unhappy.

Unlike with squat "Vedro", slogan of which was "Fuck it all!", this time we
had an orderly approach. Skins connected the electricity (which was not
difficult) whereas we (punks) had the water running. We settled down, and
during following nights we gathered tables and beds from junkyards.
Two-lawyer steel door was closed with a heavy lock. Since we were surrounded
with inhabited buildings, we covered windows with cardboard so that one
could not see light from outside.

Some comrades were employed, so supply of food was not a problem. All
"principles of squatting" were taken care of - defense, conspiracy, water,
electricity and food. So we were having quite a kosher life there.

Meetings were held in the squat, but first of all it was a living quarters.
There were anarcho-punk meetings and meetings against capitalist
globalization, but biggest of them all was a planning meeting of
anti-fascist counter actions for November 4th - it was attended by 50
people. We were happy that squat became an uniting hub for our movement.
Differently from "Vedro" which was inhabited by punks only, in this squat it
was a mixed crowd of punks, hardcore kids and rash and sharp skinheads.

As usual, squat served as a free hostel for people visiting from other
cities. Once before concert "Music against nationalism" we hosted a band of
Straightedge kids from Moscow, they tagged all the squat with x's. Once some
German anarchists dropped in.

Somehow fascists found the squat. They jumped on one of our comrades in
metro, and while he was escaping they shouted "You bitches, your bum hole is
discovered!". Due to this, due fact that heaters were failing in decreasing
temperatures which lead to toilet and sink jamming and a skating ring
emerging to the kitchen floor, we decided to temporarily abandon the squat.

I paid a visit to squat once after we had left. Obviously someone had tried
to break in, keyhole was removed but lock was in its place. I was stunned
for condition of stairs - as if somebody had beaten them with a
sledgehammer. Perhaps after failure to trespass to squat, frustrated Nazis
were beating their bone heads to stairs.

We had an anti new years party in squat. Due to freezing temperature, living
there is now impossible. But in spring we will for sure have a new squat -
see you then!

Translated from site of Punk Revival of St. Petersburg,
www.pv.mahost.org//squat/gallery.html
(page includes map of the squat)