The Putin Regime’s Ideological Plurality
This chapter investigates where a supposed “Russian fascism” can be located, looking at the political niches inside state structures that may nurture such a narrative and the grassroots actors trying to promote different components of the fascist repertoire. It examines how the Putin regime has shown an impressive capacity to adapt to new contexts and take on new challenging geopolitical environments. The chapter then argues that the Putin regime, as an ad hoc construction, regularly purges itself by excluding some of its members while at the same time developing new strategies for co-opting other segments of society, which partly explains its longevity and ability to regularly rebound. It also demonstrates a large ideological plurality, with several ecosystems competing with each other by offering the Presidential Administration new ideological products in the hope of seeing them adopted at a higher level. The chapter also identifies two segments that sometimes play with the fascist repertoire as part of a broader continuum of reactionary ideologies: the military–industrial complex and the Orthodox realm.