Russian Supremacism and Xenophobia Database

Russian Supremacism and Xenophobia Database or RUSUX is a non-commerical project founded and maintained by Dor Shabashewitz and Davur Dordzhiev.

Dor Shabashewitz is an independent journalist and political analyst with a background in social anthropology. His articles on ethnic minority rights and emerging secessionist movements in Russia and Central Asia have appeared in RFE/RL, New Eastern Europe, Voices on Central Asia and Eurasia Review.Davur Dordzhiev is an Oirat-Kalmyk researcher and political consultant who holds an MA degree in law and is currently enrolled in the Modern German and European Studies program at the University of Haifa. His research interests include international law, ethnic activism in exile and democratization and peacebuilding in the South Caucasus.

Q: What is the purpose of RUSUX?A: RUSUX exists to find, document, translate and publicize statements by Russian politicians and public speakers aimed at a domestic audience which contain elements of ethnic Russian supremacism, imperialism, offensive stereotyping of and xenophobia against Russia's ethnic minorities as well as former colonies of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.Q: Why is this important?A: Racism and xenophobia against peoples formerly or currently colonized by Russia are a big part of what makes Russia Russia. This is evident from but not limited to Russia's official discourse, including justifications of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Pervasive ethnic Russian supremacism also affects Russia's own population, with its manifestations ranging from erasure of indigenous languages from school curricula to as many as 20% of all apartment rental ads in Moscow openly stating that the landlords will only consider "Slavic tenants." Without exploring the dynamics of this inequality and the rhetoric around it, you cannot understand today's Russia and what it might be like in the future, and yet foreign commentators and policymakers rarely pay attention to it.Q: Are you trying to smear the reputation of Russia's liberal opposition?A: No. RUSUX is not a political project. It is not RUSUX's fault that xenophobic and imperialist attitudes are not limited to those self-identifying as Russian nationalists and Putin supporters. Manifestations of ethnic Russian supremacism are so widespread and normalized in Russian society that opposition leaders and public intellectuals widely regarded as liberal and progressive often engage in xenophobic behavior. Our aim is to document xenophobic statements regardless of the speakers' political affiliation. RUSUX tries to stay as neutral as possible in its choice of quotes to include and analyze.Q: Why is this website in English and not Russian?A: The idea of highlighting and criticizing xenophobic statements by Russian public speakers is not new. Multiple organizations and bloggers such as the Free Nations League and Rotten Kepken have been doing this for years – in Russian, for a domestic audience. RUSUX's target audience is researchers, journalists, policymakers and curious laypeople from other countries who may not speak Russian but want to keep up with the evolving narratives of Russian politics, both formal and informal.Q: How do I access and browse the database?A: RUSUX is a work in progress. For now, the most convenient medium to present all of the data we have gathered in a standardized and searchable way is good old Google Sheets. The most recent entries are shown in the table right below this FAQ section. Please note that they are presented in a simplified form, omitting some of the fields and variables we use in the full Google Sheets version. If you are viewing the table on mobile, swipe left to see the other half of it with reasons for inclusion of each quote.Q: How do I submit a quote?A: You can send us a Twitter DM or an email.Q: How do I cite RUSUX in my writing?A: If you are a journalist, just link our website. If you are writing a research paper or a student assignment, use something along these lines: Shabashewitz, Dor & Dordzhiev, Davur (eds.) 2024. Russian Supremacism and Xenophobia Database. (Available online at https://rusux.shabashewitz.com/.) If you want to cite a specific quote, use its numeric identifier like #0000-0000.

New RUSUX entries