Research
Before addressing genuine Russian nationalist groups, it is important to show their difference from loyalist/conditioned groups that work under the Kremlin framework. At this moment, only the representatives of conditioned nationalism, to the state of Russian nationalism, exist as groups who refuse to address nationalistic points as threatening to the state. Thus, many are forced to be silent lest they be faced with an arrest, or focus on remote issues that barely interest society. Official nationalist parties in Russia exist as components of the state system, functioning similarly to other political factions by supporting the government at crucial moments. Figures like Konstantin Malofeev and various non-suppressed so-called nationalist organisations align themselves not with democratic ideals or popular rule, but with Putin’s leadership, advocating only for symbolic changes while hoping to avoid repression. This form of "official nationalism" has historical roots in the ideology of Sergey Uvarov, who promoted "Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality" as a state doctrine in contrast to the democratic ideals of the French Revolution. Official Russian nationalism is state-driven, centred more on loyalty to imperial symbols than on Russian cultural identity.
Addressing the policies starts with identifying the issue, with the Russian policy being no exception. Without a clear understanding, initial sanctions have prevented most of the domestic capital drain from Russia. Kremlin did not have to initiate all unpopular financial measures to stabilise the economy. The next step is assessing the socio-political situation, which identifies the power structure and what can be done to weaken it. The Kremlin presents itself as a democratic regime where Putin manifests people’s desires. Despite this statement, contemporary Russia is neither free nor democratic, and the discussion arises on the specifics of the most accurate term. ‘Sovereign democracy’ can only describe the previous power structure before Putin became an immovable figure. This article will argue that neo-feudalism best describes contemporary Russia, especially given Putin’s statist view towards post-feudal ideas of Nationalism, separating it from neo-reaction.
Demography of Russians: 25 Years of ‘Putinwave’
When looking at the constitution of Russia, it seems that it constitutes a multiethnic federation where the largest ethnicity does not have a majority, at best approaching the Soviet result of being half of the total population. And just like the Soviet Union ended with breakaway states, some people project the same future for the Russian Federation. The reason why the largest Soviet republic, which later became the Russian Federation, was called the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is that ethnic Russians have constituted more than a standard definition of supermajority, having more than 80% of the total population identifying themselves with the Russian ethnicity. The fact that number decreased in next censuses can only indicate that the Russian Federation is far from being a nationalist state, as Russians as an ethnicity currently face paramount issues regarding diaspora/emigration, population decline due to a combination of heightened mortality and reducing fertility (which is a result of a current war initiated by Putin), and an unrestricted migration that is comparable in absolute terms to the United States. To give an overview, the article will explain why ethnic Russians remain the only potential entity for a change in Russia and what issues concern them.
When analysing Russia and its people, they often start by ignoring one detail. While in other languages, there is no separation between Russians as an ethnicity and citizens of Russia, as both are generally described with one term, the difference is notable when spoken in Russian. Russian as an ethnicity is represented by the common term ‘Russkiy,’ while the general citizen of Russia who does not necessarily have a Russian ethnic background is called ‘Rossiyanin.’ Creating a term acknowledging a difference would be a significant step in increasing the accuracy of analysis, far from when everything was called Russia, be it the Russian Tsardom, Russian Empire, or even the Soviet Union that did not have Russia or anything Russia-related in its name. It will be a reminder that being Russian as an ethnicity does not mean being part of the government and fully accepting it, especially since it is not a democracy. They are just the largest ethnic group in the territory of the Russian Federation.