A case of illiberal learning? The influence of Pro-Russian accounts in Far-Right Anti-Gender Messaging Networks on Telegram

Anti-gender messaging has been identified as a key ingredient of Russian propaganda (Edenborg 2023). While Russian propaganda is known to reflect already existing rifts in societies abroad, research also suggests that far-right parties take inspiration from Russian propaganda tactics and narratives as well (Wilson 2023). However, the overlap of pro-Russian and far-right anti-gender networks remains understudied. Conceptual contributions are lacking on the role of anti-genderism in the rise of illiberal discourse, and the potential inspiration involved actors take from Russian messaging. As anti-LGBTQI and antifeminist messaging resonates with broad conservative audiences (Ayoub and Stoeckl 2024), it might function as an entry-point for illiberal communication. This paper therefore explores the overlap of pro-Russian with far-right anti-gender discourse, the key topics over time, and their strategic function. Inspired by authoritarian learning (Hall and Ambrosio 2017) and illiberal public spheres literature (Bennet and Kneuer 2024, Štětka and Mihelj 2024), it investigates the hypothesis that right-wing actors might take inspiration from pro-Russian anti-gender rhetoric, as a form of ‘illiberal learning’. To recreate the network of Russian anti-gender propaganda, German Public Telegram channels are analysed, representing a key venue of Russian propaganda (Oleinik 2023). A large dataset of the German Telegram environment since 2019 is scraped (Kessling and Münch 2024) with a gender and sexuality-related keyword dictionary. Network analysis serves to determine the central nodes (channels) of the network, based on centrality measures, and community detection is applied to identify groups of nodes (Urman and Katz 2022). The political position of the top 400 channels is qualitatively coded on a left-right axis. Lastly, topic modeling and frame analysis are used to compare the similarities and differences in anti-gender messaging of the most central pro-Russian vs. right-wing channels over time. Overall, this study illuminates the extent to which degree Russian anti-gender messaging presents an effective form of information influence, as well as the broader function of anti-gender messaging in providing a platform for the collaboration of illiberal actors and, hence, for the rise of illiberal discourse.