The Russian Community, or Russkaya Obshchina (RO), has emerged as the largest and most influential ultranationalist organization in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. With 1.2 million subscribers to its official YouTube page and over 660,000 readers on its main Telegram channel, RO has become a significant force in promoting ethnic Russian interests and targeting immigrants.
RO’s activities are a mix of benign and extremist actions. The group organizes festivities on Orthodox holidays, such as Maslenitsa, with folk singing and dance performances. However, an examination of RO’s Telegram groups reveals a narrow focus on ethnic Russian interests and a stream of anti-immigrant content. “The blacks will devour everything in their path if the Slavs do not unite to somehow defend their borders and values,” a young female follower of the Community’s Saratov branch told newsmen, using a derogatory slur.
RO’s tactics include filing official complaints, making denunciations to authorities, and conducting raids on immigrants and minorities. According to Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA Centre, which monitors hate movements in Russia, “In the case of migrants, these are places where migrants live or work.” RO members typically appear where immigrants are working and find some sort of “violation,” detaining the alleged violators and handing them over to the police.
While RO claims to be standing up to an “immigrant crime wave,” statistics suggest that foreigners committed just 2% of all reported crime nationwide last year, with a substantial portion related to improper paperwork rather than victimizing Russians. Valentina Chupik, a lawyer who offers free legal help to migrants, notes that “these crimes are the inevitable consequence of the organisation of illegal migration.”
RO’s activities have also led to threats and harassment against human rights advocates like Chupik. “They threaten me regularly,” she says. “My employees are also threatened, as well as volunteers.” Messages seen by newsmen tell Chupik, “there’s a special spot for you in hell” and to “wait for the bottle,” alluding to sexual assault.
The group’s influence extends to the Russian Orthodox Church, with RO having been blessed by a vicar on behalf of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Verkhovsky notes that “primarily the Russian Community, but also other organisations of the same type, have a very good relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.”
The rise of RO and its brand of nationalism aligns with the Kremlin’s ideology, supporting the invasion of Ukraine and actively fundraising for soldiers and their families. However, concerns remain about the group’s potential for violence and its impact on interethnic relations in Russia. As Verkhovsky points out, “many of the activists are, shall we say, inclined towards violence, and the leadership can’t always hold them back”.