Digital Authoritarian Manipulations and Ethnicized Mobilization: The Case of Russian-Speaking Minority in Germany

The present paper explores the mobilization process of minorities who are subjected to digital authoritarian manipulations from the perceived kin state. Specifically, it investigates the various digital strategies that authoritarian regimes might use on social media to influence the political behavior of co-ethnics residing abroad. To address these questions, this study focuses on the Russian-speaking population in Germany. Since 2007, the Kremlin has used the concept of Russki mir to mobilize the 25 million Russian diaspora members living abroad. Russki mir became a foreign policy tool and cultural practice designed to create a sense of belonging to Russia based on common historical memory, culture, language, religion, and a specific social and political vision. Through soft power and the spread of misinformation on social media, the Kremlin has succeeded in building networks of Russki mir supporters among Russian speakers residing in liberal democracies. This research unpacks the role of micro-, meso-, and macro-level actors in facilitating the radicalization of the Russian-speaking minority in Germany. Specifically, it analyzes the patterns of mobilization along the lines of the pro-war and anti-vaccination online movements and voting support for German far-right actors. Using a qualitative networked approach, multi-sited ethnographic encounters, expert and elite interviews, and netnographic analysis of Telegram channels and TikTok accounts, the study sheds light on how individual incorporation into ethnicized collective actions, such as large-scale pro-war motor rallies and demonstrations, occurs, and what the role of Russia as an authoritarian kin state is in this.The study argues that online radicalization networks act as "ethnicized echo-chambers" and become the primary structural ground that facilitates the spread of the Russki mir ideological pillars. Interviews with far-right actors in Germany illustrate the importance of two primary factors in individual radicalization: the existence of the macro-level actor in framing the mobilization agenda and the social media platforms that facilitate mobilization via everyday engagement of individuals in ethnicized echo-chambers. Targeted Russian speakers re- and co-produce Russki mir by organizing rallies in support of Russia, voting for far-right politicians, or forming networks of like-minded people on social media. The desire to overcome social exclusion due to their minority background can drive supporters to the arms of Russki mir, which offers an alternative way to become a majority by supporting a new power center that challenges the whole world order. Overall, the findings contribute to our understanding of how and why resident minorities in liberal democracies might get mobilized in support of authoritarian states by the means of digital tools employed by the state. By reconstructing the patterns of ethnicized mobilization of the Russian-speaking minority in Germany, this research sheds light on how intertwined networks of micro-, meso-, and macro-level actors can facilitate the radicalization of individuals both online and offline.