American Right Ideological Connections to Russia

American Fighter in the Donbas

We have a far-right nationalist movement that is an international movement. We know there have been meetings between the leaders of these movements starting in the early 2000s.

This has evolved into a mature ideology that has a lot in common. Just Security put it this way:

Though Nazzaro’s relationship with the Russian government remains uncertain, these reports point to a broader trend: a mutual affection between Western white supremacists and the Russian government. It also highlights the reality that the distinction between foreign terrorism and so-called domestic terrorism is increasingly irrelevant. Dating back to 2004, David Duke characterized Russia as the “key to white survival,” and American white supremacist Richard Spencer recently identified Russia as the “sole white power in the world.” Both Jared Taylor — founder of the white supremacist outlet American Renaissance — and Matthew Heimbach — a Unite the Right organizer and leader of the now-defunct Traditionalist Workers Party — have met in person with ultranationalist Russian political leaders in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

This is why the talking points of the American far right have a lot in common with the nationalist Russian far right. It has become a tool for hybrid warfare, even if, at times, the Russian state may see these groups as…