Authors

Discussion

Historically, Russian nationalism has oscillated between the temptation to form a nation-state, which favours the interests of the ethnic majority, and the imperial ideal, which is based on a desire to dominate areas and populations that are ethnically and culturally diverse. These two models compete with each other but also coexist to some degree. Putin’s regime has developed affinities with statist-imperialist ideology, which is more inclined to present itself under the label of “patriotism”, yet it has also embraced elements of ethnic nationalism since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2014.

The paper focuses on Russian non-state actors, referred to as “nationalists of conviction”, who oppose Putin’s regime. The Ukraine war has polarised their factions, with some supporting Ukraine as a “nationalist state”, while others have remained loyal to some idea of “Russianness” and have temporarily allied themselves with the Russian state, even though it is not considered to be a “true Russia”. Some have called for a cessation of hostilities in the name of the “brotherhood” of Eastern Slavs, while others urged the Russian government to wage all-out war against Ukraine and/or the West in defence of the “Russian nation”. The positions adopted by the various nationalist players reflect the galvanising effect of the Russo-Ukrainian war on Russian identity debates. They also reveal the tensions that exist between a radical ideology and its implementation in times of war.