Why does part of the radical right love Vladimir Putin? Earlier this week, FVD leader Thierry Baudet only needed one tweet to get to the heart of his admiration for Putin’s Russia. ‘Because Russia is not a postmodern country, is not captivated by supranationalism, protects Christianity and the European identity of its people, strives for stability in the Middle East and is proud of its own culture.’
It’s a story that has been heard on the far right for years: Putin is a powerful leader who at least dares to stand up for national self-interest, fight for traditional values and pay little attention to the weak, progressive establishment in the West. . PVV leader Geert Wilders called Russia in 2017 an ‘ally in the fight against terrorism and mass immigration’.
The worse the relationship between the West and Russia became in recent years, the more Putin responded to those anti-establishment sentiments in Europe, as is described in the book, among other things. Tango Noir – Russia and the Western Far Right by Austrian-based Russian researcher Anton Shekhovtsov.
Weakness
“But the link with the far right is partly a sign of weakness,” said Shekhovtsov, director of the Center for Democratic Integrity in Vienna. ‘Russia much prefers doing business with established parties in the West, but support there has eroded very quickly in recent years. The radical right as an ally has always been Plan B, never Plan A. Right now, of course, their support is welcome, but there’s something very opportunistic about the relationship. If necessary, those kinds of parties are also discarded in no time.’
A major attraction of Putin to some of the right is his authoritarian style. Former US President Donald Trump called Putin “genius” on Tuesday and at the same time denounced the weakness of Democratic President Joe Biden. Baudet opposes the Dutch cabinet in a similar way. While Putin, according to the FvD leader, is ‘a wonderful guy’, he calls Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra a ‘sucker and nitwit’.
It is certain that Putin also strikes a chord with some of the Dutch voters. A recent study by the Clingendael Institute shows that about 20 percent of the electorate can sympathize with Putin’s ideas. The support is mainly found on the right. More than half of voters of the FVD, PVV and SGP agree with the statement: ‘I think it is a good thing that traditionally conservative values and national pride are being promoted in Russia.’ More than 40 percent of the voters on JA21 and BBB agree with this statement.
According to Shekhovtsov, that image of Putin’s Russia as a bastion of conservative values and national pride is based on a combination of very limited knowledge about Russia and, at the same time, successful propaganda from Moscow. ‘Russia is not such a conservative stronghold at all. It is a hyper-capitalist country, where the elite is internationally oriented and where traditional values and religion play a limited role. For example, there are huge numbers of abortions and divorces. Putin himself is divorced.’
Sympathy for Russia among a relatively small part of the electorate is fairly constant, the Clingendeal Institute also notes. Putin’s military escalation in Ukraine will probably not change that much, any more than previous brutal actions in Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine, Syria, the involvement in the downing of MH17 and the elimination of the opposition at home. According to Clingendael, that sympathy for Russia must also be seen as part of the general polarization in society. If established parties are against Putin, that makes him attractive to some of the voters.
Anti-Americanism
Similar processes are taking place in other countries, according to Shekhovtsov. For example, Putin can sometimes count on support from far-left parties, although this is less common. On the left, sympathy for Putin is mainly related to anti-Americanism and anti-Nato sentiments,’ said Shekhovtsov.
Russia is not doing much with it for the time being. Support for sanctions against Moscow is still strong. In the Netherlands, only Baudet fully approves Putin’s position in Ukraine. He believes that the blame for the crisis lies elsewhere: ‘The EU, NATO and America are constantly pushing to pressure, surround and encapsulate Russia.’
Wilders, who previously described himself as ‘pro-Nato’, does disapprove of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. “Russia has violated the integrity of Ukraine,” the PVV said in a written statement. “We strongly condemn that.” Like a number of ex-FvD MPs led by Wybren van Haga, Wilders is against sanctions against Russia, but mainly out of fear of higher energy bills for the Dutch. ‘It is not our war,’ says Wilders.