A new group of “patriots” have vowed to defend Russia against pro-democracy protesters who “threaten its constitution”, using violent means if necessary. The group, which calls itself anti-Maidan, said on Thursday it would fight any attempts to bring Russians on to the streets to protest against the government. Its name is a reference to the Maidan protests in Kiev last year that eventually led to the toppling of former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych.

“All street movements and colour revolutions lead to blood. Women, children and old people suffer first,” said Dmitry Sablin, previously a long-standing MP from President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, who recently became a senator in Russia’s upper house of parliament.

“It is not acceptable for the minority to force its will upon the majority, as happened in Ukraine,” he added. “Under the slogan of fighting for democracy there is instead total fear, total propaganda, and no freedom.”

Sablin was joined at the launch of anti-Maidan by Russian nationalist politicians, a female mixed martial arts champion and “The Surgeon”, leader of a biker gang known as the Night Wolves. The group said it would open up membership to anyone who was interested in joining.

“Decisions should be made in Moscow and not in Washington or Brussels,” said Nikolai Starikov, a nationalist writer and marginal politician. All the group insisted that the west had used pro-democracy activists to conquer Ukraine, both during the 2004 Orange Revolution and in last year’s Maidan protests, and was now looking to Russia.

“The ‘orange beast’ is sharpening its teeth and looking to Russia,” said The Surgeon, whose real name is Alexander Zaldostanov. He suggested an alternate name for the anti-Maidan group could be “Death to faggots”, without explaining why.

Zaldostanov has been given awards by the Kremlin for his patriotic work and has frequently been pictured with Putin. A biker show put on by the Night Wolves in Crimea after the peninsula was annexed last year portrayed Ukrainians as fascists and was shown on Russian state television.

The anti-Maidan group claims it has no funding from any official or other sources, and is purely an “initiative group” formed by like-minded citizens. It said that in future any “small costs” incurred would probably be covered by donations, and stressed it was acting independently of the state. However, the fact it held a press conference at a state news agency and was filmed by Russian state television suggests at the least implicit backing from authorities.

There was a vagueness about what activities the anti-Maidan activists would engage in, but they said they would begin on Thursday evening at a protest in support of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. The anti-corruption blogger and fierce Putin critic was given a suspended jail sentence late last year in a case widely believed to be political. His brother was jailed for three-and-a-half years. The anti-Maidan group said it would attempt to stop Navalny’s supporters from “behaving badly” at their protests.

“Personally I am a fan of the civilised, democratic intelligent way of deciding conflicts, but if we need to take up weapons then of course I will be ready,” said Yulia Bereznikova, the mixed martial arts champion.

Sablin said there was no great risk of a “coloured revolution” in Russia for now, but that it was important to act quickly to avoid the risk growing.

“Maidan in Kiev did not appear just like that. Everyone was paid, everyone was paid to be there, was paid for every stone that was thrown, for every bottle thrown,” said Sablin, echoing a frequently repeated Russian claim, for which there is no evidence. “We need to strangle all these all at the start.”

• This article was amended on 16 January 2015. An earlier version referred to mixed martial arts as ultimate fighting.

