Staunton, July 29 – Among the most important factors that are leading to the intensification of nationalism among the non-Russian nations in the North Caucasus is the increasing use by officials there are right-wing Russian nationalist groups to help militias maintain order, Vera Alperovich says.
An expert on nationalist movements, she made that observation in the course of a discussion about the growth of non-Russian nationalisms in the southern part of the Russian Federation that was organized by the Kavkaz-Uzel news service (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/402294).
She says that this represents a serious change from only a decade ago when the police there and elsewhere were targeting Russian nationalists. Now, the authorities have funded the growth of these groups and are using them as adjuncts to the militia when there are protests or other mass actions.
These new adjuncts to the police are probably pleased to be playing that role, but their actions, Alperovich suggests, are causing ever more non-Russians to view the governments even in their republics as occupying authorities and that in turn is leading ever more of them to become more nationalistic and hostile to Moscow.
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