The Genetic Distinctiveness of Russians? Racism and Xenophobia in the Formation of Contemporary Russian Security Policy

Since 2012, that is, since the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s third presidential term, the Russian Federation has been undergoing a so-called conservative turn. This process is characterised not only by the increasing authoritarianism of the state, its growing repressiveness, and the systematic restriction of citizens’ rights and freedoms, but also by the rise of a racist and xenophobic discourse dominating state propaganda. This discourse seeks to construct an image of Russians as morally and physically superior to members of other societies, particularly those of the West. The promotion of such views was foreshadowed by several widely publicised statements. In 2013, Vladimir Medinskiy, then Minister of Culture and currently an adviser to Putin, claimed that the Russian people possess an ‘extra chromosome’ that has enabled Russia to survive throughout centuries of history. In 2017, Putin himself asserted that the superiority of the Russian people is determined by a specific ‘genetic code’. These ideas have their roots in strands of extreme right-wing and conservative Russian thought, most notably in the writings of Aleksandr Dugin. Once marginal, such views are now openly supported and disseminated by the state. After 2022, claims concerning the spiritual and physical superiority of Russians over other societies have clearly become embedded in Russian security policy. They constitute the foundation of racist and xenophobic discourse directed primarily against economic migrants from Central Asia, Ukrainians, and Western societies more broadly. These narratives are intended to foster social integration within Russia and to reinforce a collective belief in national superiority. At the same time, however, they carry the risk of provoking social unrest in regions of the Russian Federation where ethnic Russians (Slavs) constitute a demographic minority. This paper analyses the sources of the belief in the distinctiveness and superiority of Russians as promoted by state propaganda. It identifies the principal elements of this alleged distinctiveness and examines the role and significance of racist and xenophobic discourse within contemporary Russian security policy.