Latest from Giovanni Pigni
Icons and Guns: Inside Russia’s Largest Far-Right Group
More than three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country’s far-right landscape is evolving, as the state increasingly seeks to co-opt and control such activism, with Russkaya Obshchina — which promotes so-called traditional values and anti-migrant rhetoric — serving as a prime example of the strategy.
The Russian Nationalists Pushing for Ukraine’s Destruction
Nationalist factions have been a key part of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine since 2014, but are often at odds with the state. Now they fear the Kremlin could be duped by the West into a negotiated settlement that falls short of their goal: dismantling Ukraine as a sovereign state.
Convicted Murderers Fought in Ukraine and Returned to Russia as Heroes
Russia has recruited convicts to fight in Ukraine. Some of those who made it back alive have become everyday heroes, welcomed with open arms and even celebrated by their country, where absolute loyalty to the motherland is the new moral code by which many Russians live.