Russkii Obraz and the politics of “managed nationalism”

Abstract

This article examines the rise of Russkii Obraz, a Russian ultranationalist organization whose leaders cultivated a neo-fascist ideology and collaborated with skinhead gangs. Despite its extremism, Russkii Obraz played an important role in the Kremlin's “managed nationalism,” a set of measures to manipulate the nationalist sector of the political arena. During 2008–2009, Russkii Obraz collaborated closely with pro-Kremlin youth organizations and enjoyed privileged access to Russia's tightly controlled public sphere. This article argues that the key to Russkii Obraz’s brief ascendancy was its duality, its capacity to project moderation in public and extremism in private. For several years, this duality enabled Russkii Obraz to participate in public life while building a support base in the skinhead subculture. But the two projects collided when the security organs exposed Russkii Obraz’s links to an ultranationalist death-squad. Nevertheless, official indulgence of Russkii Obraz cannot be attributed merely to ignorance of its violent potential. This indulgence also reflected the fact that it was precisely those at the neo-fascist limits of the political spectrum who were most willing to collaborate in the regime's efforts to suppress demands for democratization.

Keywords:

• Russian nationalism
• Russian politics
• Putin regime

Acknowledgement

I am grateful to SOVA, and in particular to Nataliya Yudina, who provided me with advice on sources and some crucial quotations, and to Aleksandr Verkhovskii, who forced me to reexamine some of my basic assumptions. I am indebted to Grigorii Durnovo for assistance with research, translation and editing. Mischa Gabowitsch offered both important corrections and some vital concepts. Vladimir Pribylovskii, Aleksandr Tarasov, and Yaroslav Leont'ev generously shared their knowledge of the history of Russkii Obraz. I am responsible for any remaining errors.

Notes

1. See, for instance, Sergei Golubev's testimony at Tikhonov's trial, “Zalozhi soratnika,” 18 April 2011, http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=4DAC3467436A2 (accessed March 1, 2013).

2. http://james-connolly.livejournal.com/ (accessed March 15, 2013).

3. http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/43405.html (accessed December 12, 2012).

4. http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/46039.html (accessed December 12, 2012).

5. “Delo Tikhonova-Khasis: Protokol dopolnitel'nogo doprosa Il'i Goryacheva,” 20 April 2010, http://news.nswap.info/?p=54007&page=5 (accessed April 23, 2013).

6. “Delo Tikhonova-Khasis: Protokol doprosa Il'i Goryacheva”, 9 November 2009, available online at http://news.nswap.info/?p=54000&page=2 (accessed December 14, 2012).

7. Ibid.

8. Russkii Obraz, No. 3, p. 1; No. 2, p. 1.

9. “Ot redaktsii,” Russkii Obraz, No. 3, p. 1.

10. “Shagi,” Zavtra, 22 April 2005, p. 8.

11. “Globalisatsiya: korporativnaya etika i natsional'naya degradatsiya,” http://web.archive.org/web/20111125215937/http://rus-obraz.net/magazine/1/5.

12. Russkii Obraz, No. 3, p. 1.

13. “LDPR predlagaet lishat’ grazhdanstva RF za brak s inostrantsami,” Novye Izvestiya, 6 June 2005, p. 2.

14. “Il'ya Goryachev,” biography on Modus Agendi website, available at http://modus-agendi.org/user/4 (accessed March 14, 2013).

15. “Obrashchenie k Serbskomu narodu,” 1 March 2006, http://web.archive.org/web/20111126062635/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/5 (accessed November 2, 2013).

16. “Pod zvezdami balkanskimi,” http://web.archive.org/web/20111126033450/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/11 (accessed December 11, 2012).

17. “Il'ya Goryachev,” biography on Modus Agendi website, available at http://modus-agendi.org/user/4 (accessed March 14, 2013).

18. “Federal'nyi spisok kandidatov v deputaty Gosudarstvennoi Dumy Federal'nogo Sobraniya Rossiiskoi Federatsii pyatogo sozyva ot politicheskoi partii “Narodnyi Soyuz”,” http://bigmishich.livejournal.com/132117.html (accessed March 15, 2013).

19. “Pakt 8-go iyunya” http://www.dpni.org/articles/novosti_dp/8906/ (accessed March 4, 2013).

20. ““Russkii marsh” zapreshchen,” Vremya novostei, 28 October 2008, p. 1.

21. “16 oktyabrya sostayalas’ press-konferentsiya “Russkii Marsh 2008”,” http://web.archive.org/web/20111125235055/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/24.

22. “Russkii marsh na koleni ne vstanet!” 28 October 2008, http://dpni.livejournal.com/2008/10/28/ (accessed March 17, 2013).

23. “Poka ne skazhu, mozhet byt’, potom…” Novaya Gazeta, 30 March 2011, pp. 7–8.

24. Ibid.

25. “Svobodu Karadzhichu! Tanki na Tbilisi!” available online at http://shustikov.livejournal.com/471847.html (accessed August 18, 2008); See particularly Goryachev's speech, “Miting “Radovan, my s toboi!”,” http://web.archive.org/web/20111125232159/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/23.

26. “Stenogramma kruglogo stola "Trudovaya migratsiya v usloviyakh krizisa: ugrozy i vyzovy”, 17 December 2008, available online at http://web.archive.org/web/20100612111642/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/36 (accessed June 4, 2013).

27. For photographs of Mishchenko and Taratorin, see Mishchenko's blog, 12 December 2012, http://tagan.livejournal.com/2008/12/12/ (accessed July 8, 2013); on the demonstration see, “Piket za uzhestochenie zakonodatel'stva v otnoshenii trudovykh migrantov,” 12 December 2008, available online at: http://web.archive.org/web/20100612111611/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/35.

28. “Molodezhnye lidery trebuyut uzhestochit’ migratsionnuyu politiku,” 16 December 2008, http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/8229.html (accessed December 16, 2012).

29. “Za Beluyu vlast’ v Belokamennom gorode,” 26 December 2008, http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/11598.html (accessed November 29, 2012).

30. “Il'ya Goryachev,” http://www.right-world.net/persons/ilya-goryachev (accessed March 15, 2013).

31. “Stenogramma kruglogo stola "Trudovaya migratsiya v usloviyakh krizisa: ugrozy i vyzovy”, 17 December 2008, available online at http://web.archive.org/web/20100612111642/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/36; “Kruglyi stol "Legalizatsiya korotkostvol'nogo oruzhiya i izmenenie zakonodatel'stva o samooborone,” 10 February 2009, available online at http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/20295.html (accessed December 28, 2012).

32. “Oni ne proidut,” http://web.archive.org/web/20100612123251/http://rus-obraz.net/activity/58.

33. “Ubi pedera…” http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/55322.html (accessed March 16, 2013).

34. “Nuzho li provodit’ gei-parad v Moskve?” Komsomol'skaya Pravda, 15 may 2009, p. 3.

35. On Russkii Obraz’s role in creating Russkii Verdikt, see the interview with Aleksei Mikhailov, “Esli proyavleniya natsionalizma budut podavlyat'sya, politicheskii terror obyazatel'no poyavitsya,” Novaya Gazeta, 22 June 2011, http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/47635.html (accessed March 2, 2013).

36. “Den’ Solidarnosti s pravymi politzaklyuchennymi: itogi,” http://web.archive.org/web/20111128111822/http://www.rus-obraz.net/activity/77.

37. The most complete statement of Taratorin's ideas is his pseudonymous work, Borisov (2009)

38. “Politicheskaya Programma ‘Russkogo Obraza’, http://web.archive.org/web/20100206155216/http://www.rus-obraz.net/position/33.

39. For a disavowal of nazism, see the interview with Sergei Erzunov, “Interview with the official voice of Russian Obraz – band RIGHT HOOK,” http://hooksprava.org/news/242 (accessed February 15, 2013).

40. “Obnovlen razdel “Ekipiruisya!” na saite RO,” 20 September 2009, http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/95638.html (accessed March 20, 2013).

41. See the exchanges on Russkii Obraz’s community site, 20 September 2009, http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/95638.html (accessed March 20, 2013).

42. “Obraz! Serbiya! Kosovo! Metokhiya!” http://web.archive.org/web/20090804051134/http://www.rus-obraz.net/activity/68.

43. On the first concert, http://wrath14.livejournal.com/5167.html (accessed July 29, 2007).

44. “Delo Tikhonova-Khasis: Protokol dopolnitel'nogo doprosa Il'i Goryacheva,” 20 April 2010, available online at http://news.nswap.info/?p=54007&page=3 (accessed April 15, 2013).

45. “Ya nazyvayu” http://hooksprava.org/lirika/ia-nazyvaiu (accessed March 5, 2013). This analysis of Khuk Sprava’s songs is indebted to research assistance by Grigorii Durnovo.

46. “Russkaya krasota,” http://hooksprava.org/lirika/russkaia-krasota (accessed March 5, 2013).

47. “Ravnodushie,” http://hooksprava.org/lirika/ravnodushie (accessed March 5, 2013).

48. “Cherno-belyi rezhim,” http://hooksprava.org/lirika/chiorno-belyy-rezhim (accessed March 16, 2013).

49. “Dmitrii Bobrov (Shul'ts): "Nichto ne daetsya bez bor'by,” 17 November 2009, http://rus-obraz.livejournal.com/124267.html (accessed December 17, 2012).

50. “Russkoe soprotivlenie,” available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PetQ0-i1-0o (accessed July 12, 2013).

51. ““Chernogo yastreba” ubili pered prigovorom suda,” Moskovskii komsomolets, September 4, 2009, p. 1.

52. On Abdullaev, “Chempion mira i Evropy po taiskomu boksu ubit na severe Moskvy,” Vechernyaya Moskva, 25 December 2009.

53. “Delo Tikhonova-Khasis: Protokol dopolnitel'nogo doprosa Il'i Goryacheva,” 20 April 2010, http://news.nswap.info/?p=54007&page=4 (accessed April 23, 2013).

54. “Korshun, Leshii, SS, Oper, Monya i drugie,” Novaya Gazeta, 25 March 2011, p. 5.

55. “Strategiya 2020,” http://news.nswap.info/?p=26265&page=5 (accessed February 5, 2013).

56. Ibid., http://news.nswap.info/?p=26265.

57. Ibid., http://news.nswap.info/?p=26265&page=2.

58. Ibid.

59. Ibid., http://news.nswap.info/?p=26265&page=3.

60. “Strategiya 2020,” http://news.nswap.info/?p=26265&page=6 (accessed February 5, 2013).

61. “Nikita Tikhonov i Evgeniya Khasis. 28 i 25 let… Ikh sudyat prisyazhnye. Mesto deistviya – Mosgorsud,” Novaya Gazeta, 22 February 2011, http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/7042.html (accessed April 16, 2013).

62. For an example of this enmity, see the comments by “soberminded” (allegedly Aleksei Baranovskii) celebrating the murder of Markelov, http://blogs.yandex.ru/cachedcopy.xml?f=1a37382c90ce294ac66682fdec3b1a3c&i=1478&m=http%3A%2F%2Fsoberminded.livejournal.com%2F429516.html, Jan. 23rd, 2009 at 5:14 AM (accessed March 2, 2013).

63. “Maksim Mishchenko: Diaspory parazitiruyut na organizme gosudarstva i natsii,” 13 November 2009, available online at http://rusk.ru/newsdata.php?idar=731959 (accessed February 15, 2013).

64. Andrei Kozenko, ““Rossiyu moloduyu” udarili po “Russkomu obrazu”,” Kommersant’, 19 November 2009, p. 6.

65. Mishchenko resigned his seat to join the Public Chamber, see his blog, 28 September 2011, http://tagan.livejournal.com/545214.html (accessed February 20, 2013).

66. originally http://soberminded.livejournal.com/545668.html; a copy is available at http://forum.dpni.org/archive/index.php/t-22561.html?s=e4a05db810ec8bcd2aea4b3974e33571 (accessed April 23, 2013).

67. http://news.nswap.info/?p=54000&page=3 (accessed December 14, 2012).

68. “Delo Tikhonova-Khasis: Protokol dopolnitel'nogo doprosa Il'i Goryacheva,” 20 April 2010, available online at http://news.nswap.info/?p=54007 (accessed April 23, 2013).

69. “Tsel’ u nas odna – stat’ vlast'yu,” Novaya Gazeta, 20 January 2010, pp. 10, 11 http://old.novayagazeta.ru/data/2010/005/02.html (accessed April 15, 2013).

70. “Deklaratsiya Russkikh natsional'nykh organizatsii,” 29 September 2010, available online at http://dpni.org/articles/lenta_novo/17424/ (accessed January 21, 2013).

71. See, for instance, “Zayavlenie ROD po povodu situatsii vokrug dela Tikhonova-Khasis,” 28 January 2011, available online at http://rod-ru.livejournal.com/184135.html (accessed February 14, 2013).

72. See, for instance, “Il'ya Goryachev,” Geroi voli, http://geroivoli.info/ilya-goryachev (accessed April 17, 2013).

73. See Valyaev's comments at http://ssever.livejournal.com/137503.html?thread=1528351 (accessed May 30, 2013) and Mikhailov's statement, “Delo T-Kh i Il'ya Goryachev,” 24 June 2011, http://rob-fergusson.livejournal.com/27406.html (accessed April 15, 2013).

74. See “Suchii Obraz,” 11 February 2011, http://pn14.info/?p=55864 (accessed May 29, 2013); on the proliferation of the term, see Leont'ev (2011) and Yudina (2013).