Robert Horvath - Putins Fascists: Russkii Obraz and the Politics of Managed Nationalism in Russia

The Putin regime and its propagandists have long claimed to be fighting the heirs of Nazi Germany. From its crackdown on domestic dissent to its aggression on the international stage, the Kremlin has regularly smeared its adversaries as fascists and fascist collaborators. Russias invasion of Ukraine, which Putin claimed would achieve its denazification, brought this propaganda to a new level of intensity.

This book shines a spotlight on the disturbing reality behind Putins anti-fascist posturing. It shows how his regime mobilised neo-nazis as proxies during Russias descent into authoritarianism. Using court records and extensive media and internet sources, it analyses the relationship between the Kremlin and Russkii Obraz, a neo-nazi organization that became a major force on Russias radical nationalist scene in 2008-10. It shows how Russkii Obrazs rise was boosted by the regimes policy of managed nationalism, which mobilised radical nationalist proxies against opponents of authoritarianism. In return for undermining moderate nationalists and pro-democracy activists, Russkii Obraz received official support and access to public space. This collaboration became politically hazardous for the Kremlin because of Russkii Obrazs neo-Nazi ideology and its connections to BORN, a terrorist group responsible for a series of high-profile killings. When security forces captured the ringleader of BORN, they precipitated the destruction of Russkii Obraz, but veterans of the organisation went on to play a prominent role in Russias attack on Ukraine in 2014.