Paul
Goble
Staunton, May 17 – Even though the
issue of relations between Russians and migrant workers has largely disappeared
from the Moscow media because of the Ukrainian crisis, it has not gone away and
indeed may be more explosive than it was precisely because of the kind of
violence that has taken place in eastern Ukraine.
In a commentary on Politcom.ru,
Aleksandr Ivakhnik points out that “the leaders of Russian nationalists have
warmly supported the imperial turn in the foreign policy of Russia and have in
practice restrained themselves from criticizing the migration policy of the
state, shortcomings of the political system, corruption and so on” (politcom.ru/17589.html).
But clashes between Russians and
immigrants like one in Pushkino this week between an Uzbek and a Russian in
which the Russian was killed, a massive protest followed, and the authorities
had to work hard to contain the situation shows that just below the surface
tensions are high and that “a single spark” could trigger massive clashes.
That is all the more likely given
that the supporters of the murdered Russian chanted “Russia for the Russians!”
and demanded that the Central Asian-dominated open markets be closed and the
migrant workers be punished or sent home.
The editors of “Gazeta” provided an
even bleaker assessment of the situation and suggested that the way in which
the Moscow media are covering events in Ukraine may result in the “import of
pogroms” from Ukraine into Russia because of Russians’ experiences with
violence there (gazeta.ru/comments/2014/05/16_e_6036425.shtml).
As the Moscow paper pointed out, the
murder of ethnic Russians by people from the Caucasus typically generate a
powerful reaction, but “the murders of migrants by Russian nationalists have
become a routine,” although there are no fewer such crimes according to
statistics.
The
Pushkino clash this week is important, “Gazeta” says, because “this is
the first such episode after Russian nationalism became the temporary official
ideology or at least the chief motivation of the practical policy of the
Russian authorities.” And it is a
reminder that such nationalism could be turned “against Russia itself,” given
that Russia is “a multi-national state.”
“The genie of Russian nationalism
was a dangerous thing to allow out of the bottle not only because in principle
it is a bad idea to promote pogrom-type attitudes in society,” the paper says,
but also because “there is a ‘conceptual’ problem.” Russian nationalists of the
kind on display at Pushkino are at bottom “anti-imperialist.”
That is, “Gazeta” explains, its
adepts “do not want a new USSR as a multi-national state: they want ‘a great
Russia for the Russians.’” As a result, those who put the ethnic Russians in
motion in Ukraine on the basis of uniting all Russians outside Russia have
failed to appreciate the extent to which they are uniting Russians “against all
non-Russians” both abroad and within Russia.
“The export of ‘the Russian spring’
to Ukraine was very profitable for the Russian authorities,” the paper says. “But
the import of ‘the Russian spring’ back into Russia could harm Russia itself.” Moreover, “the import of pogroms is possible
also because there already exists in Russia an officially articulated demand
for a struggle against internal enemies.”
Such “active searches for national
traitors will become an additional detonator of inter-ethnic conflicts” in
Russia, “Gazeta” says. And there will be
many Russians who will take the opportunity to attack gastarbeiters from
Central Asia and the Caucasus rather than go after Ukrainians.
After all, the paper notes, in
Russia, “as always,” people will “beat others on the basis of their faces
rather than their passports.”
The annexation of Crimea and “the
export of internal aggression in Russian society to Ukraine have not lowered
the level of this aggression,” even as Russians have shifted their attention
away from developments in Ukraine. According to a VTsIOM poll, only 30 percent
of Russians are following events there, nine percent less than a month ago.
Since the anger remains, it is
likely to be taken out on other groups, “Gazeta” concludes, and consequently, “the
return of ‘the Russian spring’ to the Motherland will hardly please either the
ordinary resident who simply wants a quiet and peaceful life or the Russian
authorities themselves” who don’t want anyone to rock the boat.
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