The New Russian Nationalism Imperialism, Ethnicity and Authoritarianism

russian ethnic nationalism and religion today

From experience I can say that, on the whole, it is not truth that is gen-

erated by controversies, but rather strained relations... Incidentally,

the Slavic Community Charter forbids conversations about religion,

because it is no secret that there are Orthodox people, atheists, and

a pre- Christian Russian culture. Therefore the Charter of our com-

munity forbids these conversations, at least within the confines of the

community.^17

The leadership of the National Great Power Party of Russia has
adopted a similar view on religious arguments. Party co- chair
Aleksandr Sevastianov explained his position thus:

Firstly, any discussion on religious issues is categorically forbid-

den in the Party. And secondly, our basic thesis may be expressed

like this: we protect Russians regardless of their religious affili-

ation and convictions. Recently I defended the convinced pagan

Korchagin in court and saved him from the gallows, and I also

offered my services as defence lawyer to Mikhail Nazarov, who is

the most Orthodox of the Orthodox. This is my principled, firmly-

held position.^18

Nationalist leaders have also recognised that excessive atten-
tion to Orthodoxy frightens away new participants rather than
attracting them. Nikolai Lysenko, the creator of one of the first
ethnic nationalist organisations – the National Republican Party –
spoke out in support of secular nationalism back in 1992:

In its traditional hypostasis Orthodoxy is unlikely to preserve its

former role as a fundamental ideological foundation in the future:

more than 70 years of Soviet society without religion could not pass

without leaving a trace. Today Russians are a people with an almost

entirely secularised, worldly mentality. (Lysenko cited in Lebedev

2007: 456)

This theme has subsequently been repeated by most of the secular
nationalists, even if they personally practice some religion or other.
Aleksandr Zhuchkovskii, for example, writes that ‘en masse the
Russian majority is not religious and even less churched’, citing