A Surge of Supremacy: The Neo-Nazi Movement in Russia

By Olga Moskvina

“Isn’t it difficult, having all those non-Aryans around you every day?”

The question caught me completely off-guard. This Russian teenager, my compatriot, had been talking to me for some time and I found him to be agreeable. That is, until I mentioned how interesting it was to be in high school in California, since it gave me the chance to meet people from all kinds of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The teenager’s words shocked me; never before had I been confronted with such straightforward racism. He continued talking in the same tone, touting the supremacy of the Slavic race.

I remember that episode every time I hear reports of extreme nationalist groups—some of them neo-Nazi—and of violence perpetrated by skinheads. I am still trying to understand the roots of racist and xenophobic attitudes in Russia.

A DISTURBING TREND
Though many countries in Europe have experienced an increase in neo-Nazi activities in recent years, Russia has proven to be some of the most fertile land for hate crimes, many of which are performed by very young people. The SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, a Moscow-based organization that monitors hate crimes in Russia, maintains a website that tracks extreme nationalist and xenophobic activity. It reports that in January 2007 alone, thirty-nine attacks motivated by ethnicity took place in Russia, and that in seven of these instances, the victim died. Some blame the numerous immigrants, particularly those from the Caucasus and Asia—who arrive by some estimates, at up to 20 million a year—for inciting race and ethnic-based attacks because they threaten the native citizens by competing for work and property.

Russian-born Julia Anoshechkina ’10, spoke of immigration with great enthusiasm: “I am very much for immigration; it increases diversity and we need people [who are] actually willing to do work.” However, she also noted, “Unfortunately, the immigration laws are so complicated that it makes it nearly impossible for people to go the legal route.” Indeed, immigration is not inherently problematic, but many of the immigrants in Russia are illegal, which the government and the taxpayers do not appreciate. Moreover, immigrants tend to build their own communities, and, sometimes, criminal groups, rather than interact with ethnic Russians. While immigrants’ tendency to form ethnic enclaves is quite natural considering their shared background, language, and experience, it creates tension, which leads to a vicious cycle: immigrants do not have the support and sympathy of the Russian population, so they depend on each other even more, which makes them tempting targets for violent radicals.

Other European countries, such as Ukraine—which has much shared history and culture with Russia—also experience immigration. Yet Ukraine does not have such a high rate of racial and ethnic strife between its immigrant and native populations. Why then does the emergence of new cultures inspire so much violence in Russia? For Alexander Kobzarev, a 29-year-old citizen of Ukraine, the reason for Russia’s violence lie in the country’s renewed self-confidence. “For about 70 years in the USSR, we all felt that we belonged to the greatest people in one of the most powerful countries, in the sense of warfare potential and political influence,” Kobzarev suggested. “Now, Ukraine is trying to integrate itself into the multinational European Union, whereas Russia once more feels that it is great and self-sufficient. [This] has spurred the development of the idea of the domination of the Russian people and, therefore, catalyzed neo-Nazi attitudes in the Russian Federation,” he explained. Olga Gaidai, also from Ukraine, offered a similar opinion: “Russia remains the leader among the other Former Soviet Republics, and maybe it is this fact that tangentially influences [nationalist] organizations and movements,” she said.

Russia has somewhat recovered economically due to the skyrocketing of oil prices in recent years, but, Ivan Hodyrev, a student of St. Petersburg State University, does not believe that Russia’s intercultural violence is due to growing ideas of the country’s world power. Instead, Hodyrev argues that “Russian youth (like any other) are rebellious. Young people already know that in society there exist certain limitations and that their elders more or less respect these limitations and follow them. But [young people] do not understand the purpose of [these] limitations. [They think] ‘Why shouldn’t we beat Chechens if they 1) Kill our own in Chechnya? 2) Sell overpriced goods in the market? 3) Act in our cities as though they were at home?’ These questions in a rebellious consciousness create a logical reaction of protest. To convince such a person of the opposite is impossible.”

Whatever the cause of the social violence in Russia, steps are being taken towards curbing radical nationalist activities. For instance, the government has been shutting down the websites of hate groups. Now, if you were to search for neo-Nazi and skinhead groups among Russian domains, you would find broken links or skinhead sites that explicitly state that they do not endorse discriminatory violence. Still, government policy cannot so easily change the outlook of certain people: the number of swastikas on walls and attacks signaled by shouts of “Russia for Russians!” are growing.

OUTSIDE RUSSIA
Russians have gained infamy of late as perpetrators of discrimination. But they, too, have been victims of discrimination. After the collapse of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, “Russophobic” attitudes developed in some of the Former Soviet Republics. Even many people in the Caucasus—often the targets of discrimination and derision in Russia—have a negative perception of Russians. Similarly, many people in the Baltic States, where Russians remained after the fall of the Soviet Union, are hostile to Russians, as are some Ukrainians.

Neo-Nazism and xenophobia are by no means a uniquely Eastern European phenomenon, either. Ivan Hodyrev pointed out: “Tolerance is a huge problem in contemporary society in general, in spite of the claims of certain countries that they have equality among all nationalities. This particularly includes such countries as the USA, Russia, and countries of Western Europe.” Indeed, many other countries are also experiencing an upsurge of violent nationalist activity. On the website for the South Carolina-based Aryan Nations, for example, the group’s pro-white America message is prominent: “We MUST begin reclaiming areas, town by town, making them White bastions for Our Folk!”

Still, despite the existence of groups like the Aryan Nations, the United States government has been more successful in addressing hate crimes than Russia. In Russia, perpetrators of hate crimes, even when caught, get away with relatively lax sentences. Notably, in a high-profile case of the murder of a 9-year-old girl from Tajikistan, the attackers were sentenced to between 1.5 and 5.5 years in prison. In the US, there seems to be stronger sentiment against those who commit violent, racist, and xenophobic crimes toward people inside the country. In contrast, ethnic Russians may separate themselves from the actions of extremists who attack other ethnic groups, but they do not feel any solidarity with the latter.

PRACTICAL CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE
The irony is that Russians who want to banish people from other countries in the name of preserving Russia, such as the young man I spoke of in the beginning, may be doing just the opposite. In a country where couples are unwilling to have children because adults cannot take time off from work and support themselves, and where many make emigration to a country in Western Europe or North America their life goal, immigrants are absolutely necessary to prevent a demographic crisis and keep the economy running. The Russian government recognizes this, but still has not taken concrete steps toward reforming an ineffective bureaucracy or curbing widespread anti-immigrant attitudes. Until the Russian government and people can find a common tongue of respect and regard for people coming from different ethnic backgrounds, the tensions will continue to preclude much-needed cooperation and tranquility that could benefit Russia socially and economically.

I long for the day when I will be able to enjoy living a month without reading about another innocent person beaten and left in the street, by a wall marked with a swastika.