Homo ethnicus

Homo ethnicus

Language	Russian
Subject	Political manifesto Political philosophy
Publication date	29 May 2023
Media type	Print (Digital)

Homo ethnicus (Latin for "Ethnic Man") is a political manifesto that was created by the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) in May 2023. A far-right paramilitary unit of Russian citizens, based in Ukraine. In May 2023, the RVC's leader, Denis Kapustin described himself as a "patriot", a "traditionalist", a "right-winger", but rejected the label "neo-Nazi", saying "you’ll never find me waving a flag with a swastika, you’ll never find me raising my hand in a Hitler salute. So why would you call me that?" Despite this, many have compared the unit's manifesto to Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf.

Summary

The manifesto begins with a condemnation of the average apolitical Russian, their only concern being “the disruption of consumer goods supply chains” whilst "the Ukrainian population is under shelling and genocide" – a condemnation common throughout the wider anti-war infosphere generally – before moving onto establishing their own understanding of the previously mentioned difference between Russkih and Rossiyanin; "passionate national forces versus pot-bellied philistines mired in everyday problems". In this, the RVC seeks to establish themselves as a seeming vanguard of national purity, the last remaining "true" ethnic Russians fighting for their conception of national liberation. The manifesto notably terms to compare races such as "us" and "them". The manifesto also rejects both Liberalism and Communism while presenting a third way – an "Ethnic worldview" encompassing unity by blood and by nation which was a similar ethnic world view of the Nazi party. The manifesto also talked about "the ability to take risks and sacrifice oneself for the sake of a high ideal". It also advocates for a pure-blooded Russian ethnostate.

Reactions

Yulia Latynina compared the organization's manifesto to Mein Kampf.