Owner of a Russian nationalist TV channel Konstantin Malofeev is sponsoring a university movement that envisions global Russian ideological dominance
From: Euromaiden Press 🇺🇦 BY ALYA SHANDRA
A Russian nationalist student movement called “The Fraternity of the Academics” is gaining influence and could impact Russia’s approach to the war in Ukraine, according to the UK Defence Intelligence.
The ideology of the “Russian world,” driving Russia’s war against Ukraine, is already pretty extreme, as it gives Russia’s invasion a sacral dimension by pitting “holy Russia” against the “godless West.” However, this report suggests that even more radical forces are emerging within Russia.
The Fraternity of the Academics, known as “akademisty” in Russian, consists of nationalist-conservative student groups established in universities across Russia. The project is financially backed by Konstantin Malofeyev, a billionaire who founded the right-wing conservative media outlet Tsargrad.
According to reports from the Russian media outlet Verstka, the movement has seen rapid growth since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. From Crimea to Vladivostok, students are gathering to promote nationalism and “traditional values” within Russian universities.
The movement “has cells in various Russian universities and adheres to a militantly imperialist outlook,” the UK Ministry of Defense stated in a 22 June report.
Voice of Ukraine 