Natives, Foreigners and Native Foreigners - The Difficult Task of Coexistence in Russia

Author(s): Jens Siegert
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perovic, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder, Aglaya Snetkov
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 141
Pages: 5-7
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2013

The violent clashes in Biryulyovo on 13th October, ignited by the murder of a 'Russian' by a 'foreigner', is another example of the growing nationalism and xenophobia in Russia. This nationalism and the assertion that there are too many 'foreigners' is utilised by both the regime and opposition figures, such as Aleksei Navalny, alike. The sources of this xenophobia are, however, much more complex than is often acknowledged, and indeed the terms of popular discourse is often confused, with 'non-Slavic' Russians often regarded as 'foreigners'. The complexity of the nationalist question in Russia is perhaps epitomised by the statement that 'Russia was an empire for centuries and is now reluctantly faced with the task of becoming a nation state'.

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