13 September 2024 Rights in Russia published a translation of Alexander Verkhovsky’s article from Novaya gazeta «The Metamorphoses of Post-Soviet Russian Nationalism: Less Violence, More Bonds. Resentment Is Inevitable».
This article first published by the George Washington University's Russia Program focuses on Roman Silantyev, an academic public expert on Islam commissioned by the prosecution in the notorious case of theater director Yevgeniya Berkovich and playright Svetlana Petriichuk. Due to this case, the general public learned about the pseudo-science of “destructology” created by Silantyev, an important figure in the “political wing” of the Russian Orthodox Church who interacts frequently with state repression and propaganda apparatus.
The war in Ukraine has changed Russian society in many ways. One of the most anticipated areas of these changes is related to nationalism, and these changes are certainly taking place. This article will discuss only those changes that directly relate to the Russian nationalists’ movement, that is, a wide and extremely heterogeneous set of politically active people who define themselves mainly as nationalists.