Angry patriots

Angry patriots,[lower-alpha 1][1] also known as the war party,[2] Z-patriots,[lower-alpha 2][3] and numerous other names, are a loose group of Russian ultranationalist political commentators and milbloggers in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but critical of what they see as ineffective or incompetent prosecution of the war by the Russian government.[4][5]

The Latin alphabet letter Z has become a prominent symbol of pro-war sentiment in Russia.

Political experts in Russia and in the United States have described the far-right ultranationalist opposition to Putin as possibly "the most serious challenge" to the Russian regime.[6][7][8]

Notable members and organizations

A notable organization in the movement is the Club of Angry Patriots, founded in April 2023 by former Russian agent and militant leader Igor Girkin.[4][9] Girkin himself has been described as the "most prominent voice" within the Z-patriot sphere.[10] The "club" also prominently includes Girkin's fellow Donetsk People's Republic leader Pavel Gubarev and Russian nationalist writer Maxim Kalashnikov.[11]

Vladlen Tatarsky, who fought in the war in Donbas and later became a pro-Russia milblogger, was a figure in the movement until his assassination in the 2023 Saint Petersburg bombing.[12]

History

Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Before Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, ultranationalists were largely on the fringes of Russian politics. The annexation brought these groups into "the Kremlin's ideological big tent".[8]

Prominent Russian liberal opposition figure Alexei Navalny said before his 2020 poisoning that the Kremlin was "far more afraid of ultra-nationalists than they were of him", noting that "[the ultranationalists] use the same imperial rhetoric as Putin does, but they can do it much better than him".[8]

Rise to prominence

During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the group has gained increased prominence and power.[4]

In mid-2022, after the collapse of the Russian frontline in the northeast due to the Ukrainian 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive, the ultranationalist faction reacted with rage and frustration, with several, including Girkin, calling for nuclear strikes against Ukraine and other forms of escalation.[13] Government spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the criticism, saying that there was room for some "critical points of view, as long as they remain within the law", but warning that "the line is very, very thin, one must be very careful here".[13]

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group, had severe tensions with the Russian Ministry of Defense for months during the war, loudly criticizing perceived incompetence and corruption in the brass. This culminated in Prigozhin launching a brief rebellion against the Ministry of Defense in June 2023, which ended in a peaceful settlement.[14] In the wake of the rebellion, Prigozhin "sharply curtailed" his verbal attacks against authorities.[15]

In July 2023, Igor Girkin was arrested and charged with "inciting extremism" by Russian authorities, ending a long period over which he was considered "untouchable" due to his history and government connections. Some Western commentators analyzed the events as signalling a larger trend of cracking down on far-right criticism.[15]

On 23 August 2023, exactly two months after the rebellion,[16] Prigozhin was killed along with nine other people when a business jet crashed in Tver Oblast, north of Moscow.[17] The Wall Street Journal cited sources within the US government as saying that the crash was likely caused by a bomb on board or "some other form of sabotage".[18][19]

Notes
  1. Russian: рассерженные патриоты, romanized: rasserzhennye patrioty
  2. Russian: Z-патриоты, romanized: Z-patrioty

References
  1. Ярновости. ""Рассерженные патриоты": в России зарождается новая оппозиция". Ярновости. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  2. Ignatov, Oleg (5 April 2023). "Russia's shifting far right: the war party". Lowy Institute. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  3. ""Z-патриоты" на фронт не спешат" (in Russian). 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  4. Faulconbridge, Guy (2023-05-13). "Pro-war nationalists say they are entering Russian politics to counter turmoil". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  5. Ellyatt, Holly (2023-04-04). "Russia's ultranationalists appear increasingly vulnerable after pro-war blogger's killing". Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  6. Shalinov, Stanislav (14 December 2022). "Vladimir Putin's failing invasion is fueling the rise of Russia's far right". Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  7. Garina, Irina. "What Igor Strelkov's arrest means for Russia's 'patriots' faction". Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  8. Matthews, Owen (2022-09-15). "More mad than Vlad: Russia's ultra-nationalist threat". Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  9. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 8, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  10. Sauer, Pjotr (2022-09-08). "'We have already lost': far-right Russian bloggers slam military failures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  11. Petrenko, Roman (2 April 2023). ""We are heading towards military defeat": ex-leader of Russian militants in Donetsk creates "club of angry patriots"". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  12. "Rise of Russia's turbo-patriots and why they pose a threat to Putin". Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  13. Corcoran, Jason. "Putin is facing pressure from Russia's hawkish nationalists who want all-out war in Ukraine". Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  14. Sanger, David E.; Barnes, Julian E. (24 June 2023). "U.S. Suspected Prigozhin Was Preparing to Take Military Action Against Russia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  15. Osborn, Andrew (2023-07-22). "Pro-war nationalist Putin critic Girkin charged with inciting extremism". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  16. Russell, Graham (24 August 2023). "Biden points finger at Putin as Prigozhin's reported death seen as a warning to 'elites'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  17. Gardner, Frank; Greenall, Robert; Lukiv, Jaroslav (23 August 2023). "Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin presumed dead after Russia plane crash". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  18. Troianovski, Anton; Barnes, Julian E; Schmitt, Eric (August 24, 2023). "'It's Likely Prigozhin Was Killed,' Pentagon Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  19. Court, Elsa (2023-08-24). "WSJ: US officials do not believe air defense shot down Prigozhin plane". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
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