Laruelle, Marlene. “The Russian Radical Right and the War in Ukraine: A Zealous Avant Garde, Dissident Voices, and Their Audience.” The Mershon Center. Ohio State University, June 15, 2022.
Excerpt
With the term “Russian Radical Right,” I refer to all those who position themselves to the right of the current regime and have complained about its lack of resolve on matters of national identity or conservative values. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met with exaltation by a large part of the Russian Radical Right, which has long been calling for such an action. Yet this is not the only perspective on the war to be found on the Radical Right: even as many figures position themselves as the foremost advocates of the war, others are being more cautious and critical of the Kremlin’s management of the “special operation,” and a few isolated individuals have even refused to embrace the conflict. The war also seems to have opened new avenues for the Russian Radical Right to be heard by public opinion, as their websites and social media platforms have seen greater engagement, but this may be a short-term effect of the catharsis created by the first months of the war.
