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5 Putin's connections to the far right :
25 February 2022 Adrian Juste
The growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia , as well as the clash between the European Union and NATO against the Kremlin, have led to the decision of the government led by Putin to invade the country in a large-scale lightning operation, causing dozens of deaths , people injured and hundreds of thousands displaced. For the first time in months, Europe is looking to the east with mistrust and fear while both sides try to justify their position, and as many other people struggle for an explanation of the conflict. Behind this, there is a figure, almost omnipresent.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin needs no introduction. Member of the KGB, the espionage service of the Soviet Union (USSR),He has held political office practically since 1991. First as Chairman of the St. Petersburg Foreign Relations Committee and then as deputy mayor of the same city in 1994, he stepped into national politics in 1996 under the administration ofBoris Yeltsin. An extremely popular figure both in the country and in the world, he generates continuous controversy due to his political decisions, his maneuvers to continually perpetuate himself in power and even for alleged electoral fraud.
your party,United Russia, which holds the government of 71 of the 83 federal districts andhas more than 75% of the State Duma, covers practically all of Russian politics. Added to this is the fact that he has the support of a large part of the opposition. Experts in political science have described United Russia as a big tent or catch-all party due to its lack of ideological definition, the wide spectrum of its internal currents and its excessive use of populism. It is quite likely, in fact, that the vote for United Russia is actually a vote for Putin and his popularity as a leader, rather than for a political program or specific ideas.
By contrast, it would be difficult to label him as far right, despite the fact that he flirts with ultra-conservative, ultra-nationalist and imperialist ideas. However,the connections between Putin and the extreme right are more than obvious, as already concluded a report from the European Union . It is time to expose them.
1. United Russia and its origins
President Boris Yeltsin hands over the presidential copy of the Russian Constitution to Vladimir Putin. Author: Presidential Press and Information Office of the Kremlin of the Russian Federation, 12/13/1999. Source: Kremlin.ru ( CC-BY 2.0 )
United Russia, Putin's political party, has its roots inOur Home Russia(NDR). Founded in 1995 by Boris Yeltsin's prime minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, it was called "the party of power" for having been formed around the new Russian economic elite that emerged as part of the new government's privatization policy. It was about maintaining a political hegemony aligned with the interests of these new economic and political elites that emerged as a result of the end of the USSR.
Boris Yeltsin is considered not only the political figure responsible for the dissolution of the USSR , but also for direct confrontation with the Soviet parliament, which refused to approve his free market-oriented reforms . Although theSocialist Party of the Soviet Union(CPSU) and sectors of the KGB tried to depose him in power, his government was based on a constant violation of the Constitution.
Supported by the George Bush administrationof the United States and by sectors of the army, came to bomb with tanks in 1993 the seat of parliament and approve a new Magna Carta that would give it broad powers. Thanks to this, he was able to create his own economic and political elite, which took its seat in the first place in the NDR. Of course,Boris Yeltsin outlawed the CPSUand he persecuted his political rivals to avoid opposition.
However, the strong economic contraction and widespread corruption, in addition to a strong erosion of his image, would make him lose popularity.until his resignation in 1999.
In the same year, Yeltsin had appointed Putin prime minister and dismissed Chernomyrdin. Together with other Russian political leaders, they created Unity . They thus sought to disassociate themselves from the NDR in an attempt to ensure the continuity of their political line in the face of the serious loss of support and thus be able to confront the moderate Homeland – All Russia (OBP) coalition that openly challenged their power.
UnitThe media apparatus and sufficient financial resources were secured to compete in the campaign in record time based on the connections and corruption established by Yeltsin. He relied primarily on the continuation of the Second Chechen War , on an exaggerated exaltation of Russian nationalism, and on adopting conservative positions. For all the rest,had no political programknown.
In the 1999 legislative elections , the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) , the direct heir to the CPSU, won with 24.29% of the vote.Unity came in second placewith 23.32% of the votes. Nonetheless, the party eventually received support from the Motherland – All Russia and other right-wing parties. This was decisive for the victory of Vladimir Putin in the presidential elections the following year. Shortly after, in 2001,these two parties merged to create United Russia. Since then, she has been winning all the electoral appointments.
The past of United Russia is intimately linked to features that are quite characteristic of the extreme right and with a strong opposition to any minimally left-wing idea.
2. The support of far-right organizations
Demonstration of the LDPR in Pushkinskaya Square. Author: Anastasia Laukkanen, 02/04/2012. Source: Voice of America .
In Russia, far-right organizations are not lacking. However, all have supported in one way or another the successive governments of Putin.
As for political parties, there are two main ones:rodinaand theLiberal-Democratic Party of Russia.
Rodina, led by Alexey Zhuravlyov , is a party that has been in trouble for its anti-Semitism andin 2005 he signed a petition to expel the Jews from the country. His public manifestations include radical ultra-nationalism and profound anti-liberalism. However, its connections with the Russian oligarchy and its support for both Putin and other leaders have led to this party being classified as a "crutch" of his government and even as a creation of allies of Putin to stop the Communist Party .
In 2006, they enteredare part of Just Russia, social democratic party resulting from the merger of several forces, but in 2018 they refounded the party appointed Alexey Zhuravlyov new spokesman. Until then, Zhuravlyov had been a United Russia deputy and a member of Great Russia , an unregistered far-right formation.
In addition, he has been a supporter of expansionist ideas, being in favor of Russia's annexation of former Soviet countries such as Ukraine and rejecting its independence from the USSR in 1990 after the fall of the Iron Curtain. He supported the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics and urged the Russian government to annex Ukraine. "The whole of Ukraine will be ours," he declared in the State Duma. He also uploaded a video to social networks with this request.
The Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia (LDRP) is a party founded in 1989 by sections of the KGB that describes itself as liberal and reformist. However, as a result of his speeches and proposals,has been labeled by experts as a far-right Hans-Georg Betzdue to its anti-communist, imperialist, ultra-nationalist, authoritarian and populist character . Among his requests is that of refounding the Russian Empire under a unitary and centralized state, strict migratory controls, the death penalty or the prohibition of religious and ethnic minorities. Despite his harsh speech against the government,they have never ever voted against Putin.
Vladímir Vólfovich Zhirinovski , its leader, is a controversial character who has been in favor of invading and recovering Alaska or countries like Ukraine. In addition to praising German dictator Adolf Hitler, he went on to say that Russia should drop nuclear bombs on its enemies, including Ukraine. The party has a branch in Belarus that supports the government of Aleksandr Lukashenko and, in fact, its leader Oleg Gaidukevich is vice president of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.
Zhirinovski is precisely also known for spending years defending and pressuring Putin to attack Ukraine. In an interview with Russian media in late December 2021, he advocated the use of "military force" if Ukraine does not respond to Russia's security demands.
The LDPR has five seats in the Duma and, with a more moderate discourse, has also advocated the recognition of Donbass as a way to protect the Russian citizens who live there. However, despite its more reserved stance, tanks and troops bearing the party's flag have been seen in Mariupol, Ukraine, near the Russian border.
In 2018, Zhirinovski went much further: he fantasized about launching a nuclear bomb on the official residence of then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in Kiev, in a program on the state channel Rossiya-1. They were in favor of the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and since 1990 they have been rejecting the independence of Ukraine as a country. The party was reprimanded by the Russian government for financing paramilitary operations in Donbass.
Both groups have also supported the self-proclaimed republics of Lugansk and Donetsk in Donbass, the ethnically Russian-majority region of Ukraine that is in open conflict with kyiv over its independence. Rodina and the LDPR supported its recognition in the State Duma and have forged political and economic relations with pro-Russian groups operating there, such as the Union of Donbass Volunteers.
As for other far-right organizations, the Russian National Unity (UNR) stands out, a neo-Nazi-inspired political and paramilitary entity that stands out for its violent and explicitly racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, Islamophobic and xenophobic public demonstrations. It has its roots in Pamyat , an ultra-orthodox Christian entity that defended (and defends) that there is a "Judeo-Masonic conspiracy" that produces the current problems in the country. The UNR's best-known motto is “ Russia for Russians ”. Both positions are very reminiscent of those repeated in other countries by organizations related to the extreme right.
The UNR has publicly supported Putin's actions . We have an example in the conflict with Ukraine, where they actively participated in the riots . They also defended Russia's role in the Chechen war. They have often been labeled " Putin's neo-Nazi aides ".
The support and permissiveness of Putin's governments to these organizations is so evident that he has even been accused of promoting them directly and indirectly for his own interests. In fact, attacks from the extreme right have grown by 320% since 2014 and violence in this sense is seven times greater than in Europe.
In addition, there are, as in other countries, other neo-fascist groups in the country whose relationship with the Putin government is somewhat ambiguous but who align themselves with many of his more conservative policies.
3. Friendships with the European extreme right
Meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the leader of the National Party of the French National Front Marine Le Pen. Author: The Russian Presidential Press and Information Office, 03/24/2017. Source: Kremlin.ru ( CC-BY 3.0 )
Journalists and the media have echoedstrong connections of Vladimir Putin's entourage with far-right parties in Europe, such as the Northern League of Italy, Alternative for Germany, the Liberal Party of Austria, the UKIP of the United Kingdom or the National Association of France, that is, with the extreme right more closely linked to the European parliamentary group of Identity and Democracy , more inclined to Eurasian tendencies, with greater rejection of the European Union project, and with greater rejection of the United States and NATO.
Different journalistic investigations pointed out in 2019 a meeting between the popular Russian businessman Yakunin and the leader of the Northern League, Salvini, where it was discussed that the benefits of three million euros in an important commercial transaction of the state oil company Rosneft would finance his campaign. Salvini, leader of the Northern League, threatened to take the journalists to court. As a curious note, on his Twitter account, he publicly admired Putin .
In Germany, the press reportedthat the intelligence services were investigating the Russian funding of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and its youth organization. Former party leader Frauke Petry reportedly flew on a Russian private jet to attend the party's national convention on a flight valued at 25,000 euros. Nor is it a secret that the leader of the party's youth has traveled to Russia on numerous occasions and held meetings with public officials from his government and from United Russia.
The far-right Liberal Party of Austria (FPO), which governed with the conservative People's Party of Austria from 2017 to 2019, signed a five-year cooperation agreement with United Russia in 2016 to promote nationalism in youth. Leaders of both parties and governments have also been seen together in playful and intimate events . This relationship is known to have favored Russia diplomatically . The relationship is so obvious that it has shocked Austrian public opinion , losing more than 100,000 votes in the 2019 elections .
The harmony between the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the Russian government was also seen during the referendum for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (the so-called Brexit ) held in 2016. According to The Time , the Russian government controlled social media bots that spread more than 45,000 pro-Brexit messages in just 48 hours.
In addition, Swansea University and the University of California at Berkeleyidentified up to 150,000 Russian accountspreviously dedicated to disseminating messages about the Ukraine conflict that shifted their attention to Brexit in the days leading up to the vote.Nigel Farage, the then party leader, went so far as to say that Putin was the world leader he most admired.
Of course, another of his biggest allies is Viktor Orbán and his party, Fidesz . Although the Hungarian government has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine at the last minute and has assured that it will take in refugees and send humanitarian aid, his good relations with Putin are well known. In fact, despite having publicly defended Ukrainian sovereignty after the far-right European summit held in Madrid, she met with Putin just 48 hours later to make sure they maintained good relations .
And in 2020, he established diplomatic alliances with both Putin and Trump, and they have held several meetings over the years. These alliances were joined by Jair Bolsonaro, the ultra-conservative president of Brazil, who has also built good relations with Putin. Bolsonaro has continued to forge good relations with Hungary and Russia even in the midst of the conflict, recently scolding Brazil's vice president for condemning the attack on Ukraine.
Other leaders who have spoken kind words to Putin or supported his policies have beenSantiago Abascal, leader of the far-right partyvoxin Spain; orGert Wilders, theFreedom Partyfrom the Netherlands. As for Vox, it has been pointed out that its position is somewhat ambiguous and, in fact, it has decided not to support two proposals, one in the Parliament of Aragon and another in the Parliament of Catalonia , to condemn the war in Ukraine.
And it is that Vox is at a difficult crossroads, with allies both for and against Putin, and with elements within its own party with opposing opinions, although the reality is that the parties of the more institutional radical right at some point So far, they have generally shown some sympathy for the Russian leader.
What are these connections due to? Very probably, on the one hand, for geopolitical interests , since Russia is interested in a European Union on its side and weak; and, on the other hand, by ideological affinities .
4. Ideological affinities .
Photo of a STOP HOMOPHOBIA demonstration in Berlin. The demonstration was carried out by the group ENOUGH IS SUOUGH. Promotes a boycott of the Sochi Olympics in Russia due to anti-gay propaganda laws. Author: Adam Groffman , 08/31/2013. Source: Flickr ( CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 )
The policies of the Putin government have earned him a reputation for promoting xenophobia, homophobia, machismo and other reactionary positions. At the time, he has leaned on growing nationalism and religious orthodoxy.
Despite the fact that in Russia a woman dies every 40 minutesas a result of gender violence, in January 2017, the Russian Duma approved an amendment that partially decriminalized domestic violence , penalizing with a fine or 15 days of administrative arrest the mistreatment that involved blood or wounds ( but not broken bones ) if these occurred only once a year . Publications related to the government hid official data and limited themselves to saying barbarities such as "the wives of angry men" had "reasons to be proud of their injuries."
As for homosexuality, it has not been outlawed as such, but a law was passed in 2013 prohibiting the dissemination of information about homosexual relationships . This includes public demonstrations . In fact, the Gay Pride parade in 2014 was harshly repressed . LGBT activists have pointed out that this sends a very homophobic message to society so that they charge with total impunity against the group. In fact, murders and hate crimes are the order of the day .
Finally, although Putin has openly spoken out against xenophobia, his support for anti-immigration and eurosceptic parties, as well as an electoral video attributed to his cabinet with a speech to this effect, has caused him to be classified as xenophobic. . However, it is true that his government, for example, is not against immigration . Instead, his strong support of the Russian Orthodox Church and his rejection of other religions is quite explicit.
Note that all this causesxenophobia and homophobia are on the rise in Russia. In 2018, 64% of people were in favor of tightening borders , 12% more than in 2017. Another survey by the Russian Center for Public Opinion Research in 2018 found that 63% of Russian citizens said that there was a conspiracy to destroy Russian spiritual values through homosexual propaganda.
On the other hand, the writer and theoretician Alexander Dugin , a figure of Russian fascism , was an adviser to two important figures in Putin's political party: Gennadiy Seleznyov , president of the Duma, and Sergey Yevguénievich Naryshkin , who has assumed relevant positions such as vice-president of the Russian government or intelligence services.
Dugin, whose influence over the Russian government is in dispute, as there are those who believe that he is a relevant figure and other experts that this is not the case , is the main ideologue of Russian fascism. Promoter of modern National Bolshevism (a kind of ideological current that mixes fascist and leftist ideas) and Eurasianism, he has written more than 30 books where he exposes his ideas, including The Fourth Political Theory .
The Russian theoretician has supported all of Putin's expansionist and imperialist pretensions, including the annexation of Crimea and support for the Donbass republics in Ukraine. Despite his disagreements on economic issues, Dugin has declared his support for the Russian leader. In addition, he is an inspiration for many extreme right-wing groups around the world, not only Russians, and has exchanged ideas with the ideologue of the French Nouvelle Droite Alain de Benoist , considered the main antecedent of the "alternative right"; with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon ; and with a multitude of European far-right political parties such as the National Front (France), the National Attack Union(Bulgaria) or the Freedom Party (Austria).
It can therefore be concluded that these facts ideologically relate Putin to the extreme right, and even to their ideological networks of influence.
5. The Trump administration .
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meet at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, 2017. Author: The Russian Presidential Press and Information Office. Source: Kremlin.ru , licensed under CC-BY 3.0
The relationship between the former US president and Putin alsohas been the subject of controversy. On occasions they have been shown as allies and, on others, reproaches have been launched, as a kind of ill-advised marriage.
However, the US intelligence services have claimed that the Russian government has helped Trump in the presidential elections that gave him victory in 2016 and that they also tried to do so in the 2020 re-election campaign . In the first case, the claims came as a result of the famous Democratic Party email leak and, in the second, through the analysis of Russian bots on social networks. the CIAwas discredited by Trump, who has denied the accusations, and removed the head of the agency.A former FBI director has even said that Trump could be a Russian informant .For his part, the president points to all this as a conspiracy against him.
Putin came to defend Trump when he was threatened with impeachment at the end of 2019, publicly showing his support.
It goes without saying that Donald Trump is the greatest exponent of the alt-right , a far-right current that has gained popularity in recent years and is at the seed of the new wave of parties that, like Vox or Alternative for Germany, they have broken the traditional ceiling of the extreme right and have accessed positions of power.
In short, no one denies that Vladimir Putin is one of the most interesting and important political figures of our time. His maneuvering and his management of domestic and foreign policy demonstrate his strategic ability and intelligence.But they also reveal their interests, their ideas and their connections. Likewise, a large part of the European extreme right, both the institutional and the more “anti-system”, has sided with Ukraine and strongly opposes Russia. There is, in this war, a whole clash of interests that, on the other hand, do not justify in any way the use of force.
Supported by Yeltsin and the Russian oligarchy, controlling the media and ensuring the support of almost the entire Duma, weaving his networks in the modern world to ensure his position on the global chessboard, Putin does not stop resorting to what every rightist resorts to : the use of populism and the extreme right as a tool to perpetuate oneself in power.
https://aldescubierto.org/2022/02/25...trema-derecha/
25 February 2022 Adrian Juste
The growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia , as well as the clash between the European Union and NATO against the Kremlin, have led to the decision of the government led by Putin to invade the country in a large-scale lightning operation, causing dozens of deaths , people injured and hundreds of thousands displaced. For the first time in months, Europe is looking to the east with mistrust and fear while both sides try to justify their position, and as many other people struggle for an explanation of the conflict. Behind this, there is a figure, almost omnipresent.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin needs no introduction. Member of the KGB, the espionage service of the Soviet Union (USSR),He has held political office practically since 1991. First as Chairman of the St. Petersburg Foreign Relations Committee and then as deputy mayor of the same city in 1994, he stepped into national politics in 1996 under the administration ofBoris Yeltsin. An extremely popular figure both in the country and in the world, he generates continuous controversy due to his political decisions, his maneuvers to continually perpetuate himself in power and even for alleged electoral fraud.
your party,United Russia, which holds the government of 71 of the 83 federal districts andhas more than 75% of the State Duma, covers practically all of Russian politics. Added to this is the fact that he has the support of a large part of the opposition. Experts in political science have described United Russia as a big tent or catch-all party due to its lack of ideological definition, the wide spectrum of its internal currents and its excessive use of populism. It is quite likely, in fact, that the vote for United Russia is actually a vote for Putin and his popularity as a leader, rather than for a political program or specific ideas.
By contrast, it would be difficult to label him as far right, despite the fact that he flirts with ultra-conservative, ultra-nationalist and imperialist ideas. However,the connections between Putin and the extreme right are more than obvious, as already concluded a report from the European Union . It is time to expose them.
1. United Russia and its origins
United Russia, Putin's political party, has its roots inOur Home Russia(NDR). Founded in 1995 by Boris Yeltsin's prime minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, it was called "the party of power" for having been formed around the new Russian economic elite that emerged as part of the new government's privatization policy. It was about maintaining a political hegemony aligned with the interests of these new economic and political elites that emerged as a result of the end of the USSR.
Boris Yeltsin is considered not only the political figure responsible for the dissolution of the USSR , but also for direct confrontation with the Soviet parliament, which refused to approve his free market-oriented reforms . Although theSocialist Party of the Soviet Union(CPSU) and sectors of the KGB tried to depose him in power, his government was based on a constant violation of the Constitution.
Supported by the George Bush administrationof the United States and by sectors of the army, came to bomb with tanks in 1993 the seat of parliament and approve a new Magna Carta that would give it broad powers. Thanks to this, he was able to create his own economic and political elite, which took its seat in the first place in the NDR. Of course,Boris Yeltsin outlawed the CPSUand he persecuted his political rivals to avoid opposition.
However, the strong economic contraction and widespread corruption, in addition to a strong erosion of his image, would make him lose popularity.until his resignation in 1999.
In the same year, Yeltsin had appointed Putin prime minister and dismissed Chernomyrdin. Together with other Russian political leaders, they created Unity . They thus sought to disassociate themselves from the NDR in an attempt to ensure the continuity of their political line in the face of the serious loss of support and thus be able to confront the moderate Homeland – All Russia (OBP) coalition that openly challenged their power.
UnitThe media apparatus and sufficient financial resources were secured to compete in the campaign in record time based on the connections and corruption established by Yeltsin. He relied primarily on the continuation of the Second Chechen War , on an exaggerated exaltation of Russian nationalism, and on adopting conservative positions. For all the rest,had no political programknown.
In the 1999 legislative elections , the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) , the direct heir to the CPSU, won with 24.29% of the vote.Unity came in second placewith 23.32% of the votes. Nonetheless, the party eventually received support from the Motherland – All Russia and other right-wing parties. This was decisive for the victory of Vladimir Putin in the presidential elections the following year. Shortly after, in 2001,these two parties merged to create United Russia. Since then, she has been winning all the electoral appointments.
The past of United Russia is intimately linked to features that are quite characteristic of the extreme right and with a strong opposition to any minimally left-wing idea.
2. The support of far-right organizations
In Russia, far-right organizations are not lacking. However, all have supported in one way or another the successive governments of Putin.
As for political parties, there are two main ones:rodinaand theLiberal-Democratic Party of Russia.
Rodina, led by Alexey Zhuravlyov , is a party that has been in trouble for its anti-Semitism andin 2005 he signed a petition to expel the Jews from the country. His public manifestations include radical ultra-nationalism and profound anti-liberalism. However, its connections with the Russian oligarchy and its support for both Putin and other leaders have led to this party being classified as a "crutch" of his government and even as a creation of allies of Putin to stop the Communist Party .
In 2006, they enteredare part of Just Russia, social democratic party resulting from the merger of several forces, but in 2018 they refounded the party appointed Alexey Zhuravlyov new spokesman. Until then, Zhuravlyov had been a United Russia deputy and a member of Great Russia , an unregistered far-right formation.
In addition, he has been a supporter of expansionist ideas, being in favor of Russia's annexation of former Soviet countries such as Ukraine and rejecting its independence from the USSR in 1990 after the fall of the Iron Curtain. He supported the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics and urged the Russian government to annex Ukraine. "The whole of Ukraine will be ours," he declared in the State Duma. He also uploaded a video to social networks with this request.
The Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia (LDRP) is a party founded in 1989 by sections of the KGB that describes itself as liberal and reformist. However, as a result of his speeches and proposals,has been labeled by experts as a far-right Hans-Georg Betzdue to its anti-communist, imperialist, ultra-nationalist, authoritarian and populist character . Among his requests is that of refounding the Russian Empire under a unitary and centralized state, strict migratory controls, the death penalty or the prohibition of religious and ethnic minorities. Despite his harsh speech against the government,they have never ever voted against Putin.
Vladímir Vólfovich Zhirinovski , its leader, is a controversial character who has been in favor of invading and recovering Alaska or countries like Ukraine. In addition to praising German dictator Adolf Hitler, he went on to say that Russia should drop nuclear bombs on its enemies, including Ukraine. The party has a branch in Belarus that supports the government of Aleksandr Lukashenko and, in fact, its leader Oleg Gaidukevich is vice president of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.
Zhirinovski is precisely also known for spending years defending and pressuring Putin to attack Ukraine. In an interview with Russian media in late December 2021, he advocated the use of "military force" if Ukraine does not respond to Russia's security demands.
The LDPR has five seats in the Duma and, with a more moderate discourse, has also advocated the recognition of Donbass as a way to protect the Russian citizens who live there. However, despite its more reserved stance, tanks and troops bearing the party's flag have been seen in Mariupol, Ukraine, near the Russian border.
In 2018, Zhirinovski went much further: he fantasized about launching a nuclear bomb on the official residence of then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in Kiev, in a program on the state channel Rossiya-1. They were in favor of the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and since 1990 they have been rejecting the independence of Ukraine as a country. The party was reprimanded by the Russian government for financing paramilitary operations in Donbass.
Both groups have also supported the self-proclaimed republics of Lugansk and Donetsk in Donbass, the ethnically Russian-majority region of Ukraine that is in open conflict with kyiv over its independence. Rodina and the LDPR supported its recognition in the State Duma and have forged political and economic relations with pro-Russian groups operating there, such as the Union of Donbass Volunteers.
As for other far-right organizations, the Russian National Unity (UNR) stands out, a neo-Nazi-inspired political and paramilitary entity that stands out for its violent and explicitly racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, Islamophobic and xenophobic public demonstrations. It has its roots in Pamyat , an ultra-orthodox Christian entity that defended (and defends) that there is a "Judeo-Masonic conspiracy" that produces the current problems in the country. The UNR's best-known motto is “ Russia for Russians ”. Both positions are very reminiscent of those repeated in other countries by organizations related to the extreme right.
The UNR has publicly supported Putin's actions . We have an example in the conflict with Ukraine, where they actively participated in the riots . They also defended Russia's role in the Chechen war. They have often been labeled " Putin's neo-Nazi aides ".
The support and permissiveness of Putin's governments to these organizations is so evident that he has even been accused of promoting them directly and indirectly for his own interests. In fact, attacks from the extreme right have grown by 320% since 2014 and violence in this sense is seven times greater than in Europe.
In addition, there are, as in other countries, other neo-fascist groups in the country whose relationship with the Putin government is somewhat ambiguous but who align themselves with many of his more conservative policies.
3. Friendships with the European extreme right
Journalists and the media have echoedstrong connections of Vladimir Putin's entourage with far-right parties in Europe, such as the Northern League of Italy, Alternative for Germany, the Liberal Party of Austria, the UKIP of the United Kingdom or the National Association of France, that is, with the extreme right more closely linked to the European parliamentary group of Identity and Democracy , more inclined to Eurasian tendencies, with greater rejection of the European Union project, and with greater rejection of the United States and NATO.
Different journalistic investigations pointed out in 2019 a meeting between the popular Russian businessman Yakunin and the leader of the Northern League, Salvini, where it was discussed that the benefits of three million euros in an important commercial transaction of the state oil company Rosneft would finance his campaign. Salvini, leader of the Northern League, threatened to take the journalists to court. As a curious note, on his Twitter account, he publicly admired Putin .
In Germany, the press reportedthat the intelligence services were investigating the Russian funding of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and its youth organization. Former party leader Frauke Petry reportedly flew on a Russian private jet to attend the party's national convention on a flight valued at 25,000 euros. Nor is it a secret that the leader of the party's youth has traveled to Russia on numerous occasions and held meetings with public officials from his government and from United Russia.
The far-right Liberal Party of Austria (FPO), which governed with the conservative People's Party of Austria from 2017 to 2019, signed a five-year cooperation agreement with United Russia in 2016 to promote nationalism in youth. Leaders of both parties and governments have also been seen together in playful and intimate events . This relationship is known to have favored Russia diplomatically . The relationship is so obvious that it has shocked Austrian public opinion , losing more than 100,000 votes in the 2019 elections .
The harmony between the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the Russian government was also seen during the referendum for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (the so-called Brexit ) held in 2016. According to The Time , the Russian government controlled social media bots that spread more than 45,000 pro-Brexit messages in just 48 hours.
In addition, Swansea University and the University of California at Berkeleyidentified up to 150,000 Russian accountspreviously dedicated to disseminating messages about the Ukraine conflict that shifted their attention to Brexit in the days leading up to the vote.Nigel Farage, the then party leader, went so far as to say that Putin was the world leader he most admired.
Of course, another of his biggest allies is Viktor Orbán and his party, Fidesz . Although the Hungarian government has condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine at the last minute and has assured that it will take in refugees and send humanitarian aid, his good relations with Putin are well known. In fact, despite having publicly defended Ukrainian sovereignty after the far-right European summit held in Madrid, she met with Putin just 48 hours later to make sure they maintained good relations .
And in 2020, he established diplomatic alliances with both Putin and Trump, and they have held several meetings over the years. These alliances were joined by Jair Bolsonaro, the ultra-conservative president of Brazil, who has also built good relations with Putin. Bolsonaro has continued to forge good relations with Hungary and Russia even in the midst of the conflict, recently scolding Brazil's vice president for condemning the attack on Ukraine.
Other leaders who have spoken kind words to Putin or supported his policies have beenSantiago Abascal, leader of the far-right partyvoxin Spain; orGert Wilders, theFreedom Partyfrom the Netherlands. As for Vox, it has been pointed out that its position is somewhat ambiguous and, in fact, it has decided not to support two proposals, one in the Parliament of Aragon and another in the Parliament of Catalonia , to condemn the war in Ukraine.
And it is that Vox is at a difficult crossroads, with allies both for and against Putin, and with elements within its own party with opposing opinions, although the reality is that the parties of the more institutional radical right at some point So far, they have generally shown some sympathy for the Russian leader.
What are these connections due to? Very probably, on the one hand, for geopolitical interests , since Russia is interested in a European Union on its side and weak; and, on the other hand, by ideological affinities .
4. Ideological affinities .
The policies of the Putin government have earned him a reputation for promoting xenophobia, homophobia, machismo and other reactionary positions. At the time, he has leaned on growing nationalism and religious orthodoxy.
Despite the fact that in Russia a woman dies every 40 minutesas a result of gender violence, in January 2017, the Russian Duma approved an amendment that partially decriminalized domestic violence , penalizing with a fine or 15 days of administrative arrest the mistreatment that involved blood or wounds ( but not broken bones ) if these occurred only once a year . Publications related to the government hid official data and limited themselves to saying barbarities such as "the wives of angry men" had "reasons to be proud of their injuries."
As for homosexuality, it has not been outlawed as such, but a law was passed in 2013 prohibiting the dissemination of information about homosexual relationships . This includes public demonstrations . In fact, the Gay Pride parade in 2014 was harshly repressed . LGBT activists have pointed out that this sends a very homophobic message to society so that they charge with total impunity against the group. In fact, murders and hate crimes are the order of the day .
Finally, although Putin has openly spoken out against xenophobia, his support for anti-immigration and eurosceptic parties, as well as an electoral video attributed to his cabinet with a speech to this effect, has caused him to be classified as xenophobic. . However, it is true that his government, for example, is not against immigration . Instead, his strong support of the Russian Orthodox Church and his rejection of other religions is quite explicit.
Note that all this causesxenophobia and homophobia are on the rise in Russia. In 2018, 64% of people were in favor of tightening borders , 12% more than in 2017. Another survey by the Russian Center for Public Opinion Research in 2018 found that 63% of Russian citizens said that there was a conspiracy to destroy Russian spiritual values through homosexual propaganda.
On the other hand, the writer and theoretician Alexander Dugin , a figure of Russian fascism , was an adviser to two important figures in Putin's political party: Gennadiy Seleznyov , president of the Duma, and Sergey Yevguénievich Naryshkin , who has assumed relevant positions such as vice-president of the Russian government or intelligence services.
Dugin, whose influence over the Russian government is in dispute, as there are those who believe that he is a relevant figure and other experts that this is not the case , is the main ideologue of Russian fascism. Promoter of modern National Bolshevism (a kind of ideological current that mixes fascist and leftist ideas) and Eurasianism, he has written more than 30 books where he exposes his ideas, including The Fourth Political Theory .
The Russian theoretician has supported all of Putin's expansionist and imperialist pretensions, including the annexation of Crimea and support for the Donbass republics in Ukraine. Despite his disagreements on economic issues, Dugin has declared his support for the Russian leader. In addition, he is an inspiration for many extreme right-wing groups around the world, not only Russians, and has exchanged ideas with the ideologue of the French Nouvelle Droite Alain de Benoist , considered the main antecedent of the "alternative right"; with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon ; and with a multitude of European far-right political parties such as the National Front (France), the National Attack Union(Bulgaria) or the Freedom Party (Austria).
It can therefore be concluded that these facts ideologically relate Putin to the extreme right, and even to their ideological networks of influence.
5. The Trump administration .
The relationship between the former US president and Putin alsohas been the subject of controversy. On occasions they have been shown as allies and, on others, reproaches have been launched, as a kind of ill-advised marriage.
However, the US intelligence services have claimed that the Russian government has helped Trump in the presidential elections that gave him victory in 2016 and that they also tried to do so in the 2020 re-election campaign . In the first case, the claims came as a result of the famous Democratic Party email leak and, in the second, through the analysis of Russian bots on social networks. the CIAwas discredited by Trump, who has denied the accusations, and removed the head of the agency.A former FBI director has even said that Trump could be a Russian informant .For his part, the president points to all this as a conspiracy against him.
Putin came to defend Trump when he was threatened with impeachment at the end of 2019, publicly showing his support.
It goes without saying that Donald Trump is the greatest exponent of the alt-right , a far-right current that has gained popularity in recent years and is at the seed of the new wave of parties that, like Vox or Alternative for Germany, they have broken the traditional ceiling of the extreme right and have accessed positions of power.
In short, no one denies that Vladimir Putin is one of the most interesting and important political figures of our time. His maneuvering and his management of domestic and foreign policy demonstrate his strategic ability and intelligence.But they also reveal their interests, their ideas and their connections. Likewise, a large part of the European extreme right, both the institutional and the more “anti-system”, has sided with Ukraine and strongly opposes Russia. There is, in this war, a whole clash of interests that, on the other hand, do not justify in any way the use of force.
Supported by Yeltsin and the Russian oligarchy, controlling the media and ensuring the support of almost the entire Duma, weaving his networks in the modern world to ensure his position on the global chessboard, Putin does not stop resorting to what every rightist resorts to : the use of populism and the extreme right as a tool to perpetuate oneself in power.
https://aldescubierto.org/2022/02/25...trema-derecha/
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