Ruscism

Ruscism, rashism, russism, or Russian fascism, (Russian and Ukrainian: Рашизм), a portmanteau of "Russia/Russian" (Russian: Россия (Rossiya), pronounced "ra-SEE-ya") and "fascism," is a neologism now commonly used to describe the guiding state ideology of the Russian Federation under President Vladimir Putin. It first appeared in 1995 during the Russian war in Chechnya as "Russianism",Джохар Дудаев: Что такое русизм? (11.03.14) Chechenews. Translation of title: "Dzhokhar Dudayev: What is Russianism?"Джохар Дудаев о Руссизме (Jan 8, 2011) YouTube. but later morphed into "Rashism" as Russia invaded its neighboring states of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014,Настоящий «рашизм»: в России составляют списки евреев, которых нужно депортировать как «несогласных» с Путиным (13:10 / 30.06.2014) Багнет. Translation of title: "Real "rashism": in Russia they make lists of Jews who need to be deported as 'disagreeing' with Putin". spreading further in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in in 2022.The War in Ukraine Has Unleashed a New Word: In a creative play on three different languages, Ukrainians identify an enemy: ‘ruscism.’ by Timothy Snyder (April 22, 2022) The New York Times. In English, the spelling "ruscism" more intuitively captures the meaning, but "rashism" is also widely used.
Ethnonationalist extremism has a long history in the Russophone world, but the term "ruscism" or "rashism" underscores the de facto fascist nature of the Putin regime, especially by March 2022, despite its anti-fascist façade; it is, essentially, a quasi-fascist ideological justification for Putinism. The main tenets include Soviet-style charismatic authoritarianism, Soviet nostalgia and nostalgia for the Russian empire, irredentism, Orthodox Christianity as a state religion, and a semi-mythical veneration of the Russian race, Russian history, and the Russian state.
==Origins==
Russia has always struggled with authoritarianism since the later days of the Russian empire under Tsar Alexander III, but total control of the state was even worse during the era of the Soviet Union. Many anti-Soviet activists varied on the political spectrum, but some had fascist leanings (such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn).
==Vatniks==
The pejorative "vatnik" (ватник; "quilted jacket") for Russian jingoists in the modern age of rashism and Putinism. A vatnik is a Russian cotton wool coat, part of the Red Army's winter uniform – but as a pejorative term, it's derived from a 2011 Internet meme first spread by Anton Chadskiy, which references his cartoon character with its square quilted jacket appearance (Propastop states that the implication of this "is similar to the English expression of someone having 'cotton between their ears' in that they are not using their brain to think for themselves").Wadded Jacket (ватник) (2015) Know Your Meme. Versions of the figure are usually drawn gray, red-nosed (from vodka-drinking), and with a black eye from belligerent infighting in the name of Russian nationalism.
Russia! magazine's Jim Kovpak described this meme, and the archetype it represents, in highly familiar detail in 2015. To quote at length:
The Russian state's response to this meme is about what you would expect. One Russian activist went to trial, had his computer confiscated, and was banned from political campaigning for posting it; a Russian teenager who posted it was punished with 160 hours of community service, purportedly because it insulted people based on national origin.(August 27, 2018). "Russians on trial for sharing memes, networks ask for law change". France 24. Agence France-Presse.(February 27, 2017). "Teen Gets 160 Hours Community Service for Insulting Russian Chauvinists". The Moscow Times. 
Similarly, Russian nationalists have attempted to have it categorized as an ethnic slur, especially after it entered wider use following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. This characterization makes little sense considering it's pretty much just a politically-focused snarl word. The phrase also has its origins among Russians themselves rather than an oppressor group.Mark Liberman (May 28, 2023). "'Vatnik' — ethnic or political slur?". Language Log.(May 1, 2023). "Why propagandists are battling to redefine 'vatnik'". Propastop. 
The term vatnik, as it is used today, is close in use to another political epithet, "tankie" (which also denotes largely-uncritical supporters of authoritarian governments, most often Marxist-Leninist regimes). In American politics, the closest analogue for the term "vatnik" is probably "redneck", though, it ought to be emphasized that the former has more satirical, Internet-based origins while the latter has a longer history. Also, while "redneck" as an insult could refer to people of authoritarian political inclinations, it doesn't necessarily. "Vatnik" as an insult always does (barring misuse of the term).
==See also==
*Stalinism
*Putinism
*National Bolshevism
*Nazism
*Fun:Vatnik argument bingo: Ukraine edition
*Vatnik Soup
==References==
Category:Anti-intellectualism
Category:Anti-Western
Category:Authoritarianism
Category:Cults
Category:Far-right politics
Category:Fascism
Category:Neologisms
Category:Racism
Category:Russia
Category:Totalitarianism