At the beginning it was called Autonomous Action (Social Revolutionary) (AD-SR; Russian: Автономное действие (социал-революционное); АД-СР; Avtonomnoye deystviye (sotsial-revolyutsionnoye), AD-SR), and in 2015 it was renamed "People's Self-Defense".

It was also involved in the protection of residents of the evicted hostels, the fight against employers who do not pay salaries to workers.

[5][4][6] A report received by RIA Novosti from law enforcement agencies says that from December 2017 to December 2018, supporters of People's Self-Defense carried out 247 "actions of an extremist nature" in 40 cities of Russia, including one terrorist act in Arkhangelsk, one fact of public justifications for terrorist activities and five cases of hooliganism and vandalism.

According to him, he was beaten, tortured with electric shocks, demanding to reveal the names of other anarchists and to confess his involvement in their actions.

[4] In September 2022, the Chelyabinsk Regional Court recognized the People's Self-Defense as a terrorist organization.