November 4th is a national holiday in Russia, Unity Day, which commemorates the occasion in 1612 when Russians from every class united to push the Polish-Lithuanian occupation force out of the country. This year, however, both a nationalist group (anti-immigrant) and a pro-migrant group have sought to hold rallies on that day. At this moment, […]
There’s a word – liberal – and there’s some kind of problem with it lately. Either the liberals want to destroy the country, or they and their Bolotnaya [demonstrations] are causing Biryulyovo [ethnic riots]. The word bubbles up, embeds itself into curly narratives, passions rage, but one thing is not clear: who is all the […]
The following is an editorial that appeared in Colta, an independent media website. It is a revealing look inside the xenophobic and racist culture that pervades Russia today. – Ed. It turns out that no single idea in modern Russia has such a mobilizing effect as the nationalist idea. Xenophobia is a spiritual clamp which […]
Following weeks of alarming inter-racial violence, including anti-minority riots in Moscow, the Interior Minister and the head of the Federal Migration Service spoke with legislators in the State Duma about possible immigration reforms. Some of the suggestions were practical, and not dissimilar from other countries’ systems. Some of the talk, however, was more focused on […]
Russia has seen a significant spike in racial incidents and inter-ethnic rioting in the last two weeks. In Moscow, in the Buryulyovo district, an anti-immigrant pogrom began on October 13th after an ethnic minority reportedly killed a native Russian. In Moscow and in St. Petersburg, there were more riots over the weekend. However, police are […]
To say that racism is pandemic in Russia these days might be an understatement. Sunday’s race riots in Moscow were certainly not the first time The Interpreter has raised the alarm over the increasingly-radical nationalist movement. Over the summer, a Russian paratrooper was killed by a Chechen immigrant in the North Caucasus town of Pugachev. Though […]
We’ve been writing about not only the events concerning the race riots in Moscow, but also the reaction of the government and the various politicians and media outlets. One concern cited by several voices is that the Russian government was only pushed into action by the rioters in the streets. Earlier we posted a translation […]
The southern Moscow district of Biryulyovo was the site of race riots after the murder of a Muscovite by a migrant. A wave of protesters descended upon a vegetable warehouse and a nearby shopping center, both of which are often populated by immigrants. Pro-Kremlin news outlets and nationalist leaders have both been pushing the narrative […]
In the wake of last Sunday’s race riots in Moscow, we have been translating the voices of various Russians in order to better understand how this topic is being discussed in the press and public spheres. We have already translated an editorial from a former Moscow mayor, as well as a statement from opposition leader […]
Alexei Navalny walked out of a Russian court a free man this morning, after his five-year prison sentence was suspended. Over the summer, Navalny was convicted for embezzling 16 millions roubles (about half a million dollars) worth of wood. The initial trial was widely viewed as a political sham, as the defense was not allowed […]
