When an Ethnic Russian Commits a Crime, Media Ignore His Nationality But when a Non-Russian Does, the Media Focuses on That Alone, Komi Editor Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 12 – The way the Russian media covers crimes both reflects and exacerbates racism, Valera Ilinov says. When an ethnic Russian commits a crime, the media ignore his nationality; but when a non-Russian does, that becomes the focus of all media attention.

            In a discussion about the way in which reporting on crime makes inter-ethnic relations in the Russian Federation worse, the editor of the Komi Daily says that what is important to remember is that “toxic masculinity does not have a nationality but it very much does have a gender” (komidaily.com/2023/07/11/migrant-iz-komi/).

            Generally, the authorities and the media ignore the fact that crime is gender-based rather than ethnically based. Men form only 46 percent of the population of the Russian Federation, Ilinov points out; but they commit 84 percent of the crimes. Nonetheless, no one calls for expelling all males in the way some call for expelling this or that ethnic group.

            However, “even if all ‘migrants’ from Tajikistan or the Republic of Komi were expelled, this would hardly stop crime because the cause of criminality lies precisely in toxic masculinity which is characteristic of Russian men.” Gender-based violence, homophobia and other consequences of this disposition are even supported by the state.

            Thus, “the authorities of the Russian Federation did not seek to adopt a law on violence in the home but with joy limited the rights of LGBT people” – and treat crime in the country as something that reflects its ethnic composition rather than what would be more accurate the division of Russian society into men and women.