THE EVOLUTION OF RUSSIAN NATIONALISM AND ITS IMPACT ON ETHNIC AND RACIAL MINORITIES, 1991–2026
Igor Kotler
The development of Russian nationalism since the collapse of the Soviet Union demonstrates a significant transformation in both its character and its relationship with the state. During the political and economic instability of the 1990s, aggressive ethnic nationalism was most visibly associated with nationalist political movements, skinheads, neo-Nazi organizations, and street violence directed against Jews, people from the Caucasus and Central Asia, Africans, Asians, and other individuals perceived as non-Russian or non-Slavic. During the 2000s, racist violence became particularly severe, while people from the Caucasus and Central Asia were simultaneously subjected to racial profiling, police harassment, employment and housing restrictions, degrading treatment, and recurring physical attacks. Although the Russian government periodically prosecuted violent nationalist organizations, nationalism did not disappear. Instead, elements of nationalist ideology were increasingly incorporated into a broader state-centered conception of Russian patriotism, political loyalty, cultural conformity, and national power.
