Radical Russian Nationalists Shift from Street Actions to Paramilitary Training, SOVA Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 24 – In its new report on “Xenophobia and Radical Nationalism” in Russia during the first six months of 2015, the SOVA Analytic Center says that public actions and street actions, including attacks on migrants and others by radical Russian nationalists are “sharply down” as a result of intensified actions by the Russian authorities against them.

            But at the same time, the authors of the report, Vera Alperovich and Natalya Yudina warn that the number of radical Russian nationalist groups who are focusing on paramilitary training “grew sharply” over this period, even though the authorities also focused on that problem (sobkorr.ru/infopovod/55B10261A9625.html).

            Moreover, they point to a trend in which some of these radical Russian nationalist groups are now working together with pro-government groups, something that could also lead to a reduction in one kind of Russian nationalist activity but promote its growth in other and perhaps more threatening ways.

            The SOVA analysts suggest that the authorities have “demonstrated to the opposition nationalists new and harsher rules of the game” by arresting more of them, charging them with more serious crimes, and sentencing many to far longer terms of incarceration. That both removes from the scene some of the leaders and discourages many of their followers.

            Over the last six months, the analysts continue, Moscow has devoted particular attention to restricting the activities of those Russian nationalists who oppose the Kremlin’s policies in Ukraine; and many who had criticized those policies have now fallen silent at least in public or become regime supporters.

            According to the report, preliminary figures show that four people died and 37 were injured in attacks by Russian nationalist groups. “The figures are optimistic,” Nataliya Yudina says, “but I would not become happy as a result.”  She says that data about such attacks is now “catastrophically” small, and the real numbers may be much worse.

            Alperovich and Yudina added that “the chaotic struggle against propaganda of hatred” had not and will not on its own lead to “a reduction of aggressiveness” in Russian society.