May 09, 2023

Russia is Officially "Ruscist"


Russia is Officially "Ruscist"
A pro-Ukraine protest in London's Trafalgar Square Alisdare Hickson, Wikimedia Commons

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s Parliament, adopted a resolution "On the Use of the Ideology of Ruscism by the Political Regime of the Russian Federation, Condemning the Principles and Practices of Ruscism as Totalitarian and Misanthropic."

The resolution says the war "showed to the entire world the true essence of Vladimir Putin’s political regime as a neo-imperial, totalitarian dictatorship that imitates the worst practices of the past and embodies the ideas of fascism and national socialism in a modern version of Russian fascism (ruscism)."

In a statement, the Ukrainian parliament appealed to the UN, the European Parliament, the OSCE, and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, as well as to the governments and parliaments of other countries to "support the condemnation of the ideology, policy, and practice of ruscism."

"Ruscism" is a neologism consisting of the words fascism, and Russia. It seems to date clear back to 1995, and was employed by breakaway Chechen leader Dzhokar Dudayev to describe Russia's military invasion of Chechnya as an expression of far-right ideology. Ruscism, he said, is

a variety of hatred ideology which is based on Great Russian chauvinism, spiritlessness and immorality. It differs from other forms of fascism, racism, and nationalism by a more extreme cruelty, both to man and to nature. It is based on the destruction of everything and everyone, the tactics of scorched earth. Ruscism is a schizophrenic variety of the world domination complex. This is a distinct version of slave psychology, it grows like a parasite on the fabricated history, occupied territories and oppressed peoples.

In Ukraine, the term "ruscism" became entrenched in 2014, after the occupation of Crimea and the beginning of the Donbas conflict, but it became known worldwide after Russia began its War on Ukraine in 2022. After that, the Ukrainian Wikipedia article about ruscism was translated into more than 20 languages, the term began to appear in international media, and was voiced in the speeches of politicians.

In particular, in April 2022, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, said that the term would be used to describe Russia in history books. "Historically, their state will have a word in books and history that no one has invented and that everyone repeats both in Ukraine and in Europe: ruscism," Zelensky said.

 

You Might Also Like

Goodbye, Pushkin!
  • April 11, 2023

Goodbye, Pushkin!

The Ukrainian city of Poltava will remove statues of Pushkin and two Soviet generals following residents' protests.
400 Days
  • March 30, 2023

400 Days

On this, the 400th Day of Russia's War on Ukraine, we gather and share some telling data.
Renaming Russia?
  • March 15, 2023

Renaming Russia?

A Ukrainian petition calls for the renaming of Russia to Moscovia. 
A Ban on Russian
  • February 01, 2023

A Ban on Russian

Kyiv-Mohlya Academy has banned the Russian language inside the institution.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955