NATIONALIST SAKHA WARRIORS FOR THE KREMLIN THE CASE OF YS TYMSY

Abstract

Since the start of the full scale war between Ukraine and Russia, both commentators and people who follow the war have paradoxically increasingly acknowledged the multicultural nature of Russian society. There are two non Russian ethnic groups who are associated with the ongoing war more than others: Chechens and Buryats. Nevertheless, with approximately 200 ethnic groups, members from more or less each one are represented in the Russian armed forces. There is the popular assumption that most non Russians in Russia oppose the war, oppose the Kremlin and are potential separatists. This chapter demonstrates that nothing can be further from the truth. This is a presentation of the analysis of Ys Tymsy, a Sakha pro Kremlin nationalist popular male movement. The movement is anti immigrant, conservative, anti Western and homophobic. This ideology helps to find common ground in the Kremlin’s anti Western conservative world view. Moreover, the con cept of masculinity in the movement is rooted in a perception of the mythical Sakha warrior. This makes all members of Ys Tymsy supporters of Putin’s war to the extent that young Sakha men join the Russian army voluntarily.