Mobilising for Regional Protests on Russian Social Media: The Case of Khabarovsk

MOBILISING FOR
REGIONAL PROTESTS ON
RUSSIAN SOCIAL MEDIA:
THE CASE OF KHABAROVSK
Ta iana Golo a
ZOiS REPORT
No.4 / 2021 · June 2021
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
2
Con en
02 ___ Summa y
04 ___ In oduc ion
06 ___ Con ex
06 ______ P o es o e o Se gey Fu gal in 2018
08 ______ Khaba o sk K ai: socioeconomic si ua ion
09 ______ The epu a ion as a “p o es egion”
13 ___ Me hod
15 ___ F aming in he ini ial p o es phase: In e p e a ion o clus e s
16 ______ Clus e 0-1: Ou go e no
18 ______ Clus e 1-1: The good go e no
20 ______ Clus e 2: Re enge on he p o es egion
21 ______ Clus e 4: Rallies in he p o ince
22 ______ Clus e 5: “Pigeon eeding” and he opponen s
25 ___ F aming a ound he a emp ed p o es camp
27 ___ Conclusion
28 ___ Imp in
Summa y
The 2020 p o es s in Khaba o sk K ai, igge ed by he a es and subsequen
de en ion o he go e no Se gey Fu gal on allega ions o o ganising killings
in he ea ly 2000s, con inued o se e al mon hs; a hei peak, he demon-
s a ions and allies had mo e han en housand pa icipan s in he egion’s
capi al alone. This ZOiS Repo o e s se e al possible explana ions o he
longe i y and mass cha ac e o he p o es s.
Fi s , i discusses p e-exis ing socioeconomic and poli ical de elopmen s in
he egion. Te i o ial dispa i y, one o he majo s uc u al ac o s d i ing
social inequali y in Russia, a ec s Khaba o sk K ai on se e al le els:
– Due o he sou he n dis ic s’ mode nised occupa ional s uc u es and in-
as uc u e, hey we e mo e ulne able o he ecen economic c isis and
he dec ease in eal incomes.
– Conside ing Russia-wide cen e-pe iphe y ela ions and inequali y,
Khaba o sk K ai lies mid- ield in e ms o dependency on ede al budge
ans e s. Such ans e s, howe e , we e no used in Khaba o sk du ing
he 2018 gube na o ial elec ion o buy he loyal y o o e s (a popula elec-
o al echniques). This helped Fu gal o win agains he K emlin-backed in-
cumben , oge he wi h he escala ion o p o es o ing when discon en ed
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
3
non- o e s pa icipa ed in he second ound a e seeing he incumben ’s
ulne abili y.
– The esul s o o he majo elec ions and o es in 2018, 2019 and 2020 e-
in o ced Khaba o sk’s newly acqui ed epu a ion as a p o es egion and
we e i idly emembe ed du ing he 2020 p o es s, in bo h a posi i e a i-
an (“Ou go e no , ou choice”) and in a nega i e aming (“Moscow’s e-
enge o p o es o ing”).
Second, he epo explo es he aming (in e p e a ion) o e en s a ound Fu -
gal’s p osecu ion and he p o es s on Russian social media. Na u al Language
P ocessing (NLP) echniques we e used o econs uc he long- e m dynam-
ics o posi i e, nega i e and neu al social media co e age, and, o wo selec -
ed pe iods, o iden i y clus e s o simila ex s and main ames suppo ing
mobilisa ion. The wo le els, i.e. backg ound and aming, a e in e ela ed:
– Fu gal’s elec ion was a poli ical ic o y o discon en ed o e s, and his
powe ed he “ou go e no ” a ian o he “people’s go e no ” aming. An-
o he a ian , “ he good go e no ”, complemen s he “ou go e no ” a i-
an and emphasises Fu gal’s own quali ies. I bo h ames a e combined,
he aming is abou Fu gal who was elec ed “by us” ou o despe a ion and
hen p o ed himsel wo hy.
– The Fa Eas iden i y as he symbolic coun e pa o he socioeconomic cen-
e-pe iphe y dimension has been ecu si ely ep oduced h ough aming
o Khaba o sk as he “ ebellious ci y” o he “k ai o eedom-lo ing peo-
ple”.
– The nega i e in e p e a ion o “ e enge on he p o es egion” is cons uc ed
in a u he g oup o ex s. Regional iden i y can be ep oduced no only by
p o iding ela ed in e p e a ions o e en s, bu is c ea ed pe o ma i ely
by pos s which make p o es ac ions in he small owns and illages isible.
– The p o es p ac ice o “pigeon eeding” is a he hea o he las clus e and
s ands bo h o he i onical p e en ion o digi al ep ession and o ac ual
s ee ac ion.
The second pe iod analysed co e s e en s in ea ly Oc obe : he a emp ed p o-
es camp in Lenin Squa e and i s iolen dispe sal, he i s o i s kind du ing
his mobilisa ion:
– While he exp ession o shock and indigna ion is qui e simila o he i s
pe iod, he aming does no show he plu ali y o oices and in e p e a-
ions o he ini ial p o es phase and is ocused mainly on police iolence
and mass de en ions (howe e , di e en aspec s and episodes a e empha-
sised in di e en clus e s).
– The ans o ma ion o who a e seen as opponen s o he p o es s and Fu gal
is c ucial he e — police o ces a e no longe seen as “police [ ha ] a e wi h
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
4
he people”. The egional dimension is applied mainly o he an agonis s,
wi h he iolen dispe sal and he ac ing go e no Deg ya e as i s ini ia-
o being b ough in ( o Khaba o sk) om Moscow. While he eac ion o
ep ession and police iolence can become a mobilising ac o and e-in ig-
o a e p o es s, his did no happen in Khaba o sk.
In oduc ion1
The July 2020 a es o he hen go e no o Khaba o sk K ai in he Rus-
sian Fa Eas (on allega ions o o ganising se e al killings in 2004 – 2005)
spa ked la ge-scale p o es s in he egion, which ook ou side obse e s by
su p ise. Thei su p ise was o some deg ee unjus i ied, gi en bo h he ich
his o y o poli ical con lic s in he Russian Fa Eas and he many ecen
p o es mobilisa ions in Russian egions, he mos p ominen cases being
he p o es camp in Shies in A khangelsk Oblas agains a new land ill o
Moscow’s was e and p o es s in Bashko os an agains plans o use Kush au
Hill o limes one mining. Howe e , he le el o popula suppo o Se gey
Fu gal, elec ed as he candida e o he “sys emic opposi ion” pa y LDPR in
2018, was some hing new in e ms o bo h mass cha ac e and longe i y. An
o e iew o p o es e en s in July 2020, which was ma ked by he la ges
s ee ac ions, and he subsequen ou mon hs o p o es s is p o ided in
FIGURES 1 and 2.
To enhance ou unde s anding o how his mobilisa ion became possible,
his ZOiS Repo ocuses on social media as a main communica ion sphe e
o al e na i e discou ses and opposi ional ac i i ies in Russia. The s udy
“Regional p o es s on Russian social media”, which s a ed a ZOiS in De-
cembe 2020 and whose ini ial esul s a e p esen ed he e, uses Na u al Lan-
guage P ocessing (NLP) echniques o iden i y he dynamics o social media
mobilisa ion and majo mobilisa ion discou ses a ound he Khaba o sk
K ai p o es s.
As becomes immedia ely appa en , he mos popula slogans such as “F ee-
dom”, “I am / We a e Fu gal” and “We a e he powe ” a e lanked by a plu al-
i y o oices ha exp ess di e en aspec s o un ai ea men o he egion
and i s go e no . This plu ali y and he imp essi e numbe o ele an pos s
on Russian-language social media make he s udy o online-based aming,
i.e. cons uc ion o sha ed in e p e a ions o p oblems, ac o s and possible
ac ions in he con ex o p o es mobilisa ion,2 bo h impo an and challeng-
1 I hank Alena Su ina, esea ch assis an a ZOiS, o he con ibu ion in mining and analys-
ing he social media da a and compiling imelines o he p o es s. I also hank D G ego
Lämmel o p og amming he NLP models.
2 Ben o d, Robe D. and Da id A. Snow (2000). F aming P ocesses and Social Mo emen s: An
O e iew and Assessmen . Annual Re iew o Sociology, 26, 611 – 639.
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
5
Sou ces: www.d no os i. u, www.in e ax. u, www.in e ax- ussia. u, www.komme san . u, www.o din o.o g, www. bk. u, www. edomos i. u, www.you ube.com, www.znak.com, own igu es
FIGURE 1
P o es e en s in Khaba o sk and Komsomolsk-na-Amu e and selec ed e en s a ound Fu gal and p o es
mobilisa ion up o and du ing July 2020
Numbe s e e o he day o p o es s in Khaba o sk. La ge do s mean la ge p o es e en s.
03/2018
25/06
01/07
2020
09/2019
Сons i u ional e e endum
P esiden ial
elec ion
M. Deg ya e ’s in e iew:
Fo eigne s came o Khaba o sk
o agg a a e p o es s
Gube na o ial elec ion:
Se gey Fu gal wins in uno
09/2018
Ac ion o
solida i y
in Moscow
S. Fu gal a es ed
and b ough o Moscow
Ac ions o solida i y
wi h Khaba o sk:
•Rally in Vladi os ok
•Picke s in Moscow,
Eka e inbu g,
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Regional go e nmen
wa ns agains pa icipa-
ion in “unsanc ioned”
ac ions due o COVID-19
and judicial isks
Le ada-Cen e : 83% Russians
know abou p o es s in
Khaba o sk, 45% ha e
a ou able iew o pa icipan s
Regional and
local elec ions
45679
81
09/07
10/07 11/07 12/07 13/07 14/07 15/07 16/07 17/07 18/07 19/07 20/07 21/07 22/07 23/07 24/07 25/07 26/07 27/07 28/07 29/07 30/07 31/07
Fi s de en ions in Khaba o sk
De en ion o an ac i is
in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Vladimi Pu in dismisses S. Fu gal
due o “loss o con idence”
V. Pu in appoin s Mikhail Deg ya e
as an ac ing go e no
o Khaba o sk K ai
M. Deg ya e ’s i s mee ing
wi h (alleged) p o es o s
Adminis a i e a es
o he “Fu galomobil“ d i e
Adminis a i e a es
o he Le F on ’s
Se gey Udal so
S. Fu gal’s amily
s a s und aising
o legal expenses
Adminis a i e a es
o he blogge
Alexey Romano
De en ions o p o es o s
in Khaba o sk
Single-pe son picke s
in Komsomolsk-on-Amu
La ge s ee p o es s in Khaba o sk:
allies & ma ch wi h a leas 12,000 pa .
Rally in
Komsomolsk-
on-Amu
Fi s calls o s ee p o es s
on social media
10 1113 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
La ge s ee p o es s
in Khaba o sk:
ally &ma ch wi h
a leas 11,000 pa .;
ally &ma ch
in he e ening
La ge s ee p o es s in
Khaba o sk: ally &ma ch wi h
a leas 14,000 pa .;
ally & ma ch in he e ening
P e- ial de en ion
o S. Fu gal
un il 09/09/2020
Pe i ion in suppo o S. Fu gal
S ee p o es s in Khaba o sk:
ally & ma ch; ca ally;
ally & ma ch wi h 2,000 pa .
in he e ening
Adm. a es o he
o ganise o he
ally in Vladi os ok
3
212
25 Da um
O icialnumbe s
Numbe ses ima edusingmapchecking.comandYou ube-andIns ag am- ideos
2 2021-07-11 10000 12000
4 2021-07-18 10000 11000
5 2021-07-25 6500 14000
6 2021-08-01 3500 3500
7 2021-08-08 2800 11000
8 2021-08-15 1500 10000
9 2021-08-22 1500 6400
10 2021-08-29 1200 3600
11 2021-09-05 1000 2300
12 2021-09-12 700 1100
13 2021-09-19 600 1000
14 2021-09-26 500 1000
15 2021-10-03 500 800
16 2021-10-10 500 700
17 2021-10-17 500 600
18 2021-10-24 300 450
19 2021-10-31 200 500
20 2021-11-07 250 500
21 2021-11-14 500
22 2021-11-21 150 120
23 2021-11-28 150 150
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
Diag ammG el
10000 10000
6500
3500
2800
1500 1500 1200 1000 700 600 500 500 500 500 300 200 250
150
150
12000
11000
14000
3500
11000
10000
6400
3600
2300
1100 1000 1000 800
700 600 450 500 500 500
120
150
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
Officialnumbe s Numbe sesGma edusingmapchecking.comandYou ube-andIns ag am- ideos
FIGURE 2
Numbe o pa icipan s in la ge p o es e en s (“Sa u day p o es s”) in Khaba o sk
July – No embe 2020
O icial igu es: pa icipan s in s ee p o es s on a gi en da e
11 / 07
18 / 07
25 / 07
01 / 08
08 / 08
15 / 08
22 / 08
29 / 08
05 / 09
12 / 09
19 / 09
26 / 09
03 / 10
10 / 10
17 / 10
24 / 10
31 / 11
07 / 11
14 / 11
21 / 11
28 / 11
Sou ce: O icial igu es as published by he Minis y o In e io o Khaba o sk municipali y, ZOiS’ igu es es ima ed using h ps://mapchecking.com wi h You ube and Ins ag am ideos
ZOiS’ igu es: pa icipan s in he la ges ma ch on a gi en da e
P o es e en s in Khaba o sk and Komsomolsk-na-Amu e selec ed e en s a ound Fu gal and p o es mobilisa ion

ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
6
ing. To s uc u e he la ge co pus and o econs uc he main lines o in e -
p e a ion, he s udy uses semi-au oma ed compu a ional analysis, which is
hen combined wi h quali a i e in e p e a ion o ex s ep esen ing ce ain
clus e s, as explained below in he Me hod sec ion. This analysis ocuses on
wo pe iods: he s a o he p o es s in July and he iolen dispe sal o an
a emp ed p o es camp on Lenin Squa e in Khaba o sk in Oc obe 2020.
Con ex
P o es o e o Se gey Fu gal in 2018
The p o es s in Khaba o sk K ai a e he a es and de en ion o Se gey
Fu gal in July 2020 a e unique in e ms o hei longe i y in con empo-
a y Russia. Howe e , despi e being a he cen e o he p o es mobilisa-
ion, Fu gal himsel is no an opposi ional leade like Alexey Na alny o he
la e Bo is Nem so . In ac , he has mo e in common wi h he KPRF go e -
no Valen in Kono alo , elec ed in he Republic o Khakassiya in he same
supe -elec ions in au umn 2018. Bo h poli ical igu es, candida es ielded
by he so-called sys emic opposi ion (pa ies ep esen ed in he S a e Duma
and pa o he hyb id au ho i a ian sys em a he han he opposi ion) a e
p oduc s, no ini ia o s, o p o es o ing. We can unde s and he singula i y
o he Khaba o sk p o es s be e by compa ing he elec ion he e o o he
egional o gube na o ial elec ions in he amewo k o “uni ed elec ion
day” in 2018.
Fo many yea s, he au ho i ies in Russia ha e been using a bundle o elec-
o al echniques — mo e o less legal, mo e o less di ec — o in luence ou -
comes and enable loyal candida es and pa ies o win. One widesp ead s a -
egy, used du ing he 2018 elec ions as well, is o paci y o e s o buy hei
loyal y by inc easing ans e s om he ede al o he egional budge and
boos ing social bene i s (e. g. inancial con ibu ions o u ili y paymen s) o
incomes o public sec o employees such as eache s o heal h wo ke s in
he mon hs be o e he elec ion.3 While he ede al au ho i ies had used his
ool in se e al egions, hey had no done so in he egions whe e he s a e-
suppo ed candida e los . Fo Khaba o sk K ai as one o hese cases, he
ede al ans e s we e no aised, bu sligh ly educed. Fu he mo e, o im-
plemen Pu in’s “May dec ees” o 2012, issued o ul il his elec ion pledges,
and o inc ease he wages o public sec o employees, he egional go e n-
men had o cu social spending while simul aneously dealing wi h a budge
de ici .4 The ac ha o e s had no been “paci ied” by budge a y measu es
helped Fu gal win he elec ion agains he incumben Vyachesla Shpo
om Uni ed Russia / Edinaya Rossiya.
Ano he ea u e ha he las gube na o ial elec ion in Khaba o sk has in
common wi h o he egions whe e he au ho i ies’ candida e could no win
3 Zuba e ich, Na alia (2018). “Podkup” imee znachenie, no og anichennoe. Socialno-econom-
icheskie ak o y egionalnyh ybo o 2018 g. In: Rogo , Ki ill (ed.), S ess- es na pol-Rossii.
Tekhnologii elek o alnogo domini o aniya i ikh og anicheniya. Analiz egionalnykh ybo o
2018 g, 19 – 24, 20.
4 Zuba e ich 2018, 21.
Se gey Fu gal is no an
opposi ional leade like
Alexey Na alny.
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
7
in he i s ound (P imo sky K ai, Khakassiya and Vladimi Oblas ) is wha
has been dubbed an escala ion o p o es o ing: he p o-K emlin candi-
da e’s poo esul s inspi ed he ini ially pessimis ic opposi ional non- o e s
o pa icipa e in he second ound, so ha we see a sha p inc ease in u n-
ou and o es o al e na i e candida es.5 Fo Khaba o sk, his esul ed in a
11.4 % inc ease in u nou and a 33.8 % su ge in o es o Fu gal, who won a
landslide ic o y wi h 69.6 % o he o es. Mo eo e , he planned and hea ily
c i icised pension e o m in 2018 o e shadowed he egional elec ion cam-
paigns and uelled o ing agains he p o-K emlin candida es.6
When Shpo was challenged by Fu gal a he gube na o ial elec ion in 2013,
he easily won agains all “ echnical candida es” (who we e mean o legi i-
mise he elec ion wi hou posing a h ea ). In 2018, he incumben , who was
now eeling he p essu e, o e ed he unlikely winne o he i s ound an
oppo uni y o coope a ion and he pos o i s ice-go e no — and Fu -
gal accep ed, bu did no wi hd aw. Nei he Shpo no Fu gal campaigned
ac i ely, a leas no be o e Shpo ied o esol e he si ua ion.7 Fu gal
old jou nalis s ha people wan ed change; ha he K ai needed o ocus
on “ egional sel -in e es ”, which in eali y mean mo e suppo om Mos-
cow; ha he go e nmen had o be accoun able o he people; and ha he
would add ess a a o socioeconomic p oblems.8 We migh desc ibe him as
a “hands-on populis ”, bu be o e being elec ed, Fu gal had no a emp ed o
mobilise popula suppo . He was no an ou side , bu a well-in eg a ed e-
p esen a i e o he Russian poli ical eli e, a second- e m membe o he S a e
Duma (he won a di ec manda e in Komsomolsk-na-Amu e in 20169) and he
depu y head o i s Commi ee on Public Heal h.
To sum up, Fu gal’s elec ion was a poli ical ic o y, i s and o emos , no
o he poli ician who was able o mobilise suppo e s mos e ec i ely, bu
o discon en ed o e s who we e unhappy wi h he s a us quo. People in
Khaba o sk K ai ook o he s ee s in 2020 a e being dep i ed o hei ic-
o y in o de o p o es agains humilia ing ea men , hei lack o a oice
and he absence o democ acy.10 Tha is e y di e en om he si ua ion o
poli ician Alexei Na alny, who, despi e he immense popula i y o his an i-
co up ion ideos, could no ha e been legi imised by elec ion and is associ-
a ed wi h “an i-sys emic opposi ion” a he han being seen as he “people’s
choice”.
5 Kyne , Aleksand , Pe o , Nikolay and Ki ill Rogo (2018). Regionalnye ybo y-2018: Tekh-
nologii elek o alnogo domini o aniya i ikh og anicheniya. In: Rogo , Ki ill (ed.), S ess- es
na pol-Rossii. Tekhnologii elek o alnogo domini o aniya i ikh og anicheniya. Analiz egion-
alnyh ybo o 2018 g, 6 – 18, 10 – 12.
6 Kyne e al. 2018, 12.
7 Pe se , And ey (2018, 19 Sep embe ). S ybo o snyali p oblemu pobedi elya. Kak p ohodi
o oy u goloso aniya Khaba o skom K ae, h ps://www.komme san . u/doc/3745194.
8 Deb i DV, Kandida gube na o y Khaba o skogo K aya Se gey Fu gal asskazal o
budushchem K ae, 11.09.2018, h p://deb i-d .com/a icle/20067/kandida _ _gube na-
o y_haba o skogo_k aya_se gey_ u gal_ asskazal_o_budushchem_ _k ae; DV-Khab, Mi
glazami Fu gala: ch o p edlagae sdela Khaba o skom K ae kandida gube na o y,
11.09.2018, h ps://www.d no os i. u/khab/2018/09/11/88119/.
9 Uni ed Russia e ained om nomina ing i s own candida e in he dis ic in a mo e which
was c i icised as an implici “sha ing” o dis ic s; see Nago nyh, I ina (2016, 28 Sep embe ).
Edinaya Rossiya naznachila dogo o nye ok uga. Pa lamen skie pa ii p inyali poda ok bez
os o ga, h ps://www.komme san . u/doc/3024833.
10 Kob in, Ki ill (2020). Demok a ichesky socializm ili a a s o: Sluchay Rossii XXI eka. Open
Democ acy Russia. h ps://www.opendemoc acy.ne / u/demok a icheskiy-so sializm-ili-
a a s o/.
Fu gal’s elec ion was
a poli ical ic o y o
discon en ed o e s.
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
8
A e he 2018 gube na o ial elec ion p oduced poo esul s o many K em-
lin-backed candida es, he egime e iewed i s app oach, elying e en mo e
on he es ic ion o access o opposi ional candida es, ep ession o ac i -
is s and key NGOs ahead o elec ions, and di ec manipula ion o esul s.
Khaba o sk K ai: socioeconomic si ua ion
The socioeconomic si ua ion p o ides he backg ound o Fu gal’s ic o y in
2018 and he 2020 p o es s. The s udy o social mo emen s shows ha eco-
nomic g ie ances pe se a e a ely enough o spa k open p o es s, especially
i hese g ie ances became pe manen . Howe e , hey can gene a e a le el
o backg ound discon en and make mobilisa ion a ound e en non-econom-
ic opics (which domina ed he 2019 – 2020 p o es s in Russia) mo e likely.
Expe s disag ee on he ele ance o socioeconomic ac o s o egional elec-
ions in Russia. Geog aphe Na alia Zuba e ich a gues ha he egional
socioeconomic si ua ion did no di ec ly in luence he ou comes o gube -
na o ial elec ions in 2018.11 Poli ical scien is Ma ia Snego aya, howe e ,
makes a plausible claim ha he economic decline is mo e p onounced on
he egional le el, and he poli ical dynamic in he egions may be mo e e-
sponsi e o he coun y’s economic dynamic.12 A compa ison o i s - ound
elec ions o egional leade s be ween 2012 and 2018 shows ha he social
and economic si ua ion in he egions, indica ed by he dynamics o eal in-
comes, has a signi ican impac on public suppo o K emlin-backed candi-
da es.13 The dec easing incomes ha cause ela i e dep i a ion a e no only
in luenced by ede al-le el o global economic ends, bu ollow peculia
egional logics. In Khaba o sk K ai, he local au ho i ies and he ede al
cen e ailed o add ess economic p oblems, which led o a decline in em-
ploymen oppo uni ies in some impo an adi ional sec o s, so ha he
disc epancy be ween he o icial discou se o a h i ing egion and dec eas-
ing eal incomes igge ed p o es o ing.14
Khaba o sk K ai is a mid- anking Russian egion in e ms o i s dependency
on he ede al budge (measu ed by ans e s) and socioeconomic de elop-
men (measu ed by combined economic, budge a y and demog aphic indi-
ca o s), being nei he a be e -o egion no an ou side .15 In compa ison
o o he egions o Dalne os ochny Fede alny Ok ug, Khaba o sk K ai, o-
ge he wi h P imo sky K ai and he Republic o Sakha, cons i u es a middle
g oup in his e y dispa a e mac o- egion.16 Te i o ial dispa i y, desc ibed
as a majo dimension o social inequali y in Russia,17 is ep oduced again
11 Zuba e ich 2018.
12 Snego aya, Ma ia (2020). Russia’s C umbling Powe Ve ical: Dec easing Disposable Income
D i es Discon en men . PONARS Eu asia Policy Memo No. 669, Sep embe 2020, 2.
13 Kozlo , Vladimi and Ma ia Snego aya (2019). Fac o s o Compe i i eness in Russian Gube -
na o ial Elec ions, 2012 – 2018. F ee Russia Founda ion.
14 Kozlo and Snego aya 2019, 24.
15 Zuba e ich, Na alia, Maka en se a, Alla and Niki a Mk chyan (2020). So sialno-ekonomich-
eskoe polozhenie egiono i demog a icheskia i ogi 2019 g. Russian Economic De elopmen ,
27 (4), Ap il 2020; RIA Rei ing, Rei ing so sialno-ekonomicheskogo polozheniya sub’’ek o
RF. I ogi 2019 goda, Moscow 2020, h p:// id1. ian. u/ig/ a ings/ a ing_ egions_2020.pd .
16 RIA Rei ing 2020: 37
17 Zuba e ich, Na alia (2015). Fou Russias and a New Poli ical Reali y. In A on, Leon (ed.), Pu-
in’s Russia: How i ose, how i is main ained, and how i migh end. Washing on: Ame ican
En e p ise Ins i u e, 22 – 35.
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wi hin he K ai’s bo de s: he sou he n sub egion, whe e he wo la ges
ci ies Khaba o sk and Komsomolsk-na-Amu e lie, has a mode nised in a-
s uc u e and occupa ional s uc u e and p o ides educa ional and cul u al
oppo uni ies, bu has been la gely deple ed o na u al esou ces; he no h-
e n dis ic s, by con as , a e pa o he “no he n Fa Eas ” — ich in na u-
al esou ces, bu lacking an adequa e in as uc u e and human esou c-
es.18 These dispa i ies a e mi o ed in poli ical ac i i ies, such as p o es
ac ions, and in he esul s o he 2018 gube na o ial elec ion.
The e ec s o he cu en economic c isis on Khaba o sk K ai a e medi-
a ed by hese in e nal disc epancies. The la es economic c isis in Russia,
which combines he e ec s o he COVID-19 pandemic, alling oil p ices and
he a e ma h o he p e ious c isis o 2014 – 2016, has igge ed a decline
in eal disposable incomes and budge e enues.19 Expo -o ien ed ex ac-
i e (and ela ed) indus ies and he p i a e se ice sec o a e mos a ec -
ed.20 Pa ly due o he lockdown du ing he i s wa e o COVID-19 in sp ing
and ea ly summe 2020, p i a e se ices in he K ai sh ank by abou 25 %.21
Khaba o sk, wi h i s ela i ely s ong eliance on he e ia y economy, o i-
en ed owa ds indi idual consump ion and se ices, was especially ulne -
able o he c isis.22 While he egion as a whole had no been hi pa icula ly
ha d, pa s o i s u ban popula ion who we e employed in small and medi-
um businesses and / o he se ice sec o we e a ec ed by he new economic
challenges. The 2020 p o es s in Khaba o sk K ai hus de eloped agains
he backg ound o he local economic c isis.
The epu a ion as a “p o es egion”
As shown abo e, he 2018 gube na o ial elec ion in Khaba o sk K ai we e
o di ec ele ance o he 2020 egional p o es s. The e a e h ee addi ional
o es ha laid he ounda ion o he K ai’s epu a ion as a “p o es egion”,
bo h locally and Russia-wide: he p esiden ial elec ion in Ma ch 2018, he
elec ions o Khaba o sk K ai’s pa liamen in Sep embe 2019, and he o e
on amendmen s o he Russian Cons i u ion in summe 2020. The high u n-
ou and he sha e o suppo i e o es a e adi ional indica o s o o e loy-
al y and he e ec i eness o local eli es in he hyb id au ho i a ian egime,
which depends on elec o al legi ima ion. A he las p esiden ial elec ion,
he u nou in Khaba o sk K ai (s ill unde go e no Shpo ) was 64.2 %,
18 Blyakhe , Leonid and Aleksand Obi in (2019). Dalny Vos ok: ins uk siya po p imeneniyu, ili
zachem Rossii Dalny Vos ok. Regionalis ika, 6(3), 13 – 30.
19 Snego aya 2020; Zuba e ich, Na alia (2020). Regionalnye iski no ogo k izisa dlya zanya os i
i byudzhe o egiono , Moni o ing ekonomicheskoi si uacii Rossii. Tenden sii i globalnye
yzo y socialno-ekonomicheskogo az i iya, №7 (109) Ap il 2020, 3 – 13.
In 2020, egional budge de ici s we e pa ly o se by an unp eceden ed le el o inancial
suppo om Moscow, see Zuba e ich, Na alia (2021). Regionalnye ekonomiki 2020 godu:
Pandemiya sozdala p oblemy esu sodoby ayushchikh egionakh i k upnykh go odah,
Moni o ing ekonomicheskoi si uacii Rossii. Tenden sii i globalnye yzo y socialno-eko-
nomicheskogo az i iya, №6 (138), Ma ch 2021, 13 – 16.
20 Zuba e ich 2021.
21 Janua y – June 2020 compa ed o he same pe iod in 2019. See Pokaza eli so sialno-ekonom-
icheskogo az i iya Khaba o skogo K aya za yan a -iyun 2020 goda, 23.10.2020, h ps://
khabk ai. u/o icially/Ekonomika/EconomDoc/173881.
22 Among ex ac i e and ela ed indus ies, oil e ining, wood p ocessing and me al p ocess-
ing we e mos a ec ed. See O so sialno-ekonomicheskom az i ii Khaba o skogo K aya
po i ogam 2020 goda, 04.02.2021, h ps://khabk ai. u/o icially/Ekonomika/Econom-
Doc/173881.
The 2020 p o es s
de eloped agains he
backg ound o he
economic c isis.
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people make sense o p o es s and ame hei own ela ionship o hem,
which can encou age o discou age pa icipa ion.
Fo he ini ial p o es phase, he 7088 ex s44 sampled we e di ided by ou
model in o six clus e s o ex s de ined as simila acco ding o hei “ph ases
p o ile” (i.e. ex s in one clus e ha e mo e simila i y o each o he han o
o he ex s). Then he clus e s including mo e han 1000 ex s we e di ided
in subclus e s using he same echnique. In addi ion o he compa ison o
clus e -speci ic ph ases, he ex s mos ypical o each clus e we e in e -
p e ed quali a i ely. The wo d clouds below ep esen speci ic ph ases o
compa ison o o he clus e s in he “beginnings” subco pus o posi i e ex s.
De ails o me hod 2: Clus e isa ion
Fo each clus e , he mos iconic POS ph ases consis ing o one, wo
o h ee wo ds we e iden i ied by he compa ison o he es o he
“beginnings” sample in o de o iden i y speci ic lines o mobilisa ion
discou se. Because he mos common impo an ph ases such as “F ee-
dom o Fu gal” and “Khaba o sk K ai” a e sha ed by di e en lines o
discou se and would hus no be ound by compa ing he clus e s wi h
each o he , each clus e was hen sepa a ely compa ed o he co pus o
i ele an ex s. The ollowing in e p e a ion o i e selec ed clus e s
(each clus e o i s bes in e p e able subclus e , wi h he excep ion
o Clus e 3, whe e no meaning ul and speci ic opics could be iden i-
ied) is based on bo h kinds o ypical ph ases and, addi ionally, on he
anking o ex s wi hin each clus e . The ex s which con ain he mos
clus e - ypical ph ases (i.e. widesp ead in his clus e and unpopula
in o he s) a e gi en high sco es, and he high- anking ex s ele an
o clus e s we e selec ed o quali a i e in e p e a ion. FIGURES 7 – 11
Clus e 0-1: Ou go e no
The ex s in he i s g oup, Clus e 0-1, emphasise he mass cha ac e o
p o es s (ph ases like “powe ul p o es / мощный протест”, “p o es ac-
ion a ended by housands / многотысячный акция протест”45). In he
mos popula ex he e — an anno a ion ex a ached o he sha ed YouTube
ideo by Khaba o sk-bo n blogge Alexey Romano — he compa ison wi h
mass p o es s by he mo emen Fo F ee Elec ions 2011 / 2012 (“Mos pow-
e ul p o es s since Bolo naia”)46 b ings in an addi ional meaning, ha o
he poli ical cha ac e o p o es s and he con ex o elec ions (mo e speci i-
cally, s olen elec ion esul s). The opic o elec ions (his o y o how Fu gal
was elec ed) is ex emely impo an o he pa icipa ion (see “ o win can-
dida e/выиграть кандидат”, “ o e / отдать голос”, “ o e a elec ions / голос
на выборы”). “We a e ALL Team Fu gal, his is ou go e no , we elec ed him
44 The di ec epos s we e excluded om he sample o a oid he o e aluing o a ew popula
ex s, as his would endange ph ase-based clus e isa ion. Howe e , he epos s lanked
by commen s, i.e. wi h changed ex s, we e included. These a e he epos s wi h which he
use s in e ac ed mos in ensi ely.
45 The POS ph ases a e gi en in English and in he Russian o iginal o documen he analysis
and o p o ide addi ional in o ma ion o Russian speake s.
46 The ci a ions we e ansla ed by he au ho and a e ci ed as (VK.com, 11.07.2020).

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FIGURE 7
Wo d cloud o he Clus e 0-1 o he “beginnings” pe iod:
mos impo an pa -o -speech ph ases (15 unig ams, big ams and ig ams) as anked agains
o he clus e s (no agains i ele an )
by ou sel es!” (OK. u, 13.07.2020), “Fu gal is ou choice” (FB, 14.07.2020).
People ake o he s ee s o p o ec hei own o es and oice, and Fu gal
is “ou go e no ” o “ he people’s go e no ”, because he was elec ed by he
people; now, his choice / elec ion is being e-enac ed by he s ee ac ion o
demons a e suppo o him and o p o es agains his a es and p e- ial
de en ion in Moscow. One majo demand was ha a public ial be held in
Khaba o sk. Taking o he s ee s is he e o e ela ed o agency o sel -em-
powe men . Addi ionally, his is ep oduced in he me a-discou se abou he
p o es s, e. g. in he epos ed pieces by p o essional media (i is impo an
o no e ha he p o essional media discou se and he social media use s’
discou se a e no sepa a ed, bu in e e e in he amewo k o he cu en
hyb id media sys em47).
The posi i e iden i ica ion wi h a “we” p o agonis is lanked by he nega i e
“ hem“, which includes s a e-sponso ed o loyal (“o icial” / официальные)
47 Bod uno a, S e lana and Anna Li inenko (2016). F agmen a ion o Socie y and Media
Hyb idiza ion in Today’s Russia: How Facebook Voices Collec i e Demands. The Jou nal o
Social Policy S udies / Zhu nal Issledo anii So sialnoi Poli iki, 14(1), 113 – 124.
Sou ce: T. Golo a, ZOiS
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18
mass media. These media companies, acco ding o he aming, a e lying
by downplaying he p o es s (indeed, he ede al TV channels comple ely
igno ed he p o es s a i s ) o by mis ep esen ing hem, e. g. by sugges ing
ha he p o es s a e being o ches a ed by dange ous indi iduals ope a ing
behind he scenes. By nega ing such cons uc s, he social media use s a e
aming p o es s as au hen ic exp essions o he people’s will.
Ano he an agonis in his clus e is clea ly Pu in (ph ases “Pu in is a
hie / путин — вор”, “dismiss Pu in / путина в отставку”, “down wi h Pu-
in / путина долой”). The widesp ead p o es slogan “Pu in is a hie ”, which
ea u ed p ominen ly in an i-co up ion and p o-democ acy p o es s by
Na alny’s suppo e s, gains an addi ional meaning: Pu in o he K emlin
has emo ed he “people’s go e no ” Fu gal, who was no only a es ed bu
aken o Moscow.
The socioeconomic cen e-pe iphe y dimension o social inequali y in Rus-
sia (see he abo e sec ion on he socioeconomic backg ound o he p o es s)
expands in o he le el o sha ed in e p e a ions by being in eg a ed in o e-
gional iden i ies. In he clus e o p o-p o es ex s discussed he e, egional
iden i y is ela ed o he “ ebellious ci y” o “p o es ci y” o Khaba o sk o
o “Khaba o sk K ai o eedom-lo ing people”. The la e in pa icula is
nu u ed by he p e-exis ing egional and some imes egionalis discou se
on he Russian Fa Eas , which is buil upon posi i e quali ies o he Eas e n
F on ie people and upon dis ancing om Moscow, which allegedly ends
no o unde s and o espec he speci ic cha ac e is ics o he egion and
i s people.48 A he same ime, his iden i y becomes ampli ied h ough he
p o es s.
To sum up, he ex s in Clus e 0-1 emphasise he mass cha ac e o p o es s
and in e p e hem in e ms o elec ion- ela ed poli ical p o es s. They also
de ine opposing iden i ies: “ou go e no ” and “we” who elec ed him, li ing
in he “ ebellious ci y”, s. Pu in himsel and s a e-loyal media who down-
play he p o es s.
Clus e 1-1: The good go e no
In his g oup o ex s, he “people’s go e no ” discou se has a di e en o-
cus: Fu gal is wo hy no because he is he people’s choice, bu due o his
quali ies as a pe son and a go e no : he ac s like a no mal pe son and alks
wi h he people in hei language (ph ases like “look you s aigh in he
eye / открытый взгляд”, “hones dialogue / честный диалог”). This con-
as s wi h ypical s a e o icials: “People will make a lo o allowances o
someone who looks you s aigh in he eye and engages in hones dialogue.
Bu he people who a e being p epa ed o such posi ions seem o be ained
in ou igh hypoc isy” (FB, 12.07.2020). Fu gal is seen as someone who ca es
abou he issues ha ma e o people and akes ac ion acco dingly. “I hink
people basically saw how Se gey I ano ich ca es abou o dina y people. He
lis ened o ou p oblems and made decisions” (FB, 14.07.2020). This aming
48 Blyakhe and Obi in 2019; Sa chenko, Ana oly (2020, 3 Augus ). Pochemu Dalny Vos ok ne
lyubi Mosk u i a yago . h ps://www.p oek .media/opinion/sa chenko-pochemu-dalny-
os ok-ne-lyubi -mosk u/.
The ex s emphasise he
mass cha ac e o he
p o es s and in e p e
hem as poli ical and
elec ions- ela ed.
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FIGURE 8
Wo d cloud o he Clus e 1-1 o he “beginnings” pe iod:
mos impo an pa -o -speech ph ases (15 unig ams, big ams and ig ams) as anked agains
o he clus e s (no agains i ele an ).
Sou ce: T. Golo a, ZOiS
ela es o he p e-exis ing discou se and popula social media sel - ep e-
sen a ions by Fu gal as someone who ca es. In hese ideos, he ypically (1)
lea ns abou he p oblem o sees i o himsel , (2) c i icises he esponsi-
ble pa ies, such as local o icials, om a posi ion o powe while emaining
calm and iendly, and (3) p oposes a solu ion o se s a goal. The “people’s
go e no ” / “народный губернатор” communica es no jus “ o he peo-
ple”, bu wi h he people; he is accessible ia social ne wo ks and eaches
ou o he p o es e s in pe son. Al hough his could be in e p e ed as pop-
ulism, i is also in line wi h democ a ic ideas o open communica ion, public
decision-making and accoun abili y.
Rela ed o he pe sonal le el o communica ion and belonging a e ex s
which emphasise emo ional esponses, such as shock (ph ases like “pe son-
al agedy / личная трагедия”): “Nobody was coo dina ing his ally, no-
body was manipula ing he people. I ha e ne e seen such uni y in my li e.
My i s eac ion o he de en ion was shock; i was like a eal physical pain.
Many iends w o e ha hey c ied! They we e weeping! … Whe e ha e you
seen people eac ing so pain ully o wha happens o a poli ician? This is no
some hing you could buy o ake” (FB, 12.07.2020). Thus, he “people’s go e -
no ” aming, which is mos impo an he e in compa ison o o he clus e s,
has a clea emo ional aspec .
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The mass media a e being c i icised mainly no o igno ing he p o es s, bu
o dissemina ing alse in o ma ion / ake news. He e, once again, hey a e
no neu al obse e s o he p o es s, bu a e among hei opponen s49 and
a e associa ed wi h Pu in: “The mass media o co up channels, and many
ne wo ks wi hin Pu in’s sys em a e ying o wis he ac s ha a e happen-
ing in Khaba o sk! Fake news. F iends, i ’s jus a bunch o lies! Rallies a e
aking place, bu a mo e calmly. E e y hing is peace ul and he e a e no
p o oca ions!!!” (OK, 14.07.2020).
The ex s in his clus e p oduce ano he a ian o “people’s go e no ”
aming, one ha ocuses on Fu gal’s own quali ies and es ablishes a pe -
sonal ela ionship be ween he go e no and people in he K ai.
Clus e 2: Re enge on he p o es egion
The basic building blocks o meaning ound in di e en clus e s o ex s
a e simila in pa , bu hei combina ions and di e en oci c ea e new in-
e p e a ions. Tha is he case wi h he aming o Fu gal’s a es as Pu in’s
e enge on Khaba o sk K ai (ph ases like “p o es egion / протестный
регион”, “wai ing o ep ession / ожидать репрессия”, “hidden poli ical
mo i a ion / политический подоплека”). This aming combines wo lines
in oduced abo e: i s , egional iden i y as a p o es egion and second, he
unexpec ed elec ion o Fu gal (he e, he emphasis is on his landslide ic o y
o e he K emlin-backed incumben Vyachesla Shp o om Uni ed Rus-
sia). “Khaba o sk K ai’s go e no Se gey Fu gal is accused o mu de s ha
happened 14 yea s ago. Maybe i is ue, maybe no , bu his a es is solely
poli ically mo i a ed” (FB, 12.07.2020) — again, his is a commen on a widely
sha ed YouTube ideo (by a p o-Communis blogge Maxim She chenko).
The egion’s a ini y o p o es was e iden no only du ing he 2018 gu-
be na o ial elec ion, bu also om Uni ed Russia’s poo esul s in local elec-
ions, Pu in’s ela i ely poo showing in 2018 and he o e on cons i u ional
amendmen s in 2020.50 Simila o he 0 – 1 Clus e a ian o he “ou go e -
no “ discou se, Fu gal looks like a subjec a he han a majo playe he e;
he is caugh be ween he au onomous will o he egion’s esiden s / ebellion
and he cen alis s a e / opp ession. Wi h “people’s go e no ” being a popu-
la ph ase in he clus e , much o his is abou he “K emlin’s wa agains
he people’s go e no ” (VK, 14.07.2020).
The less p ominen line in he clus e deals wi h he eac ion o Vladimi
Zhi ino sky, he leade o Fu gal’s pa y LDPR, o he de en ion; he claimed
ha he en i e pa liamen a y g oup in he S a e Duma could esign in p o-
es (unsu p isingly, his did no happen). The opic o popula suppo
o he a es ed go e no (ph ases like “suppo o a es / поддержка
арестовать”51, “ o a es go e no / арестовать губернатор”) is qui e
p ominen he e, mainly in b ie desc ip ions such as: “In Khaba o sk K ai,
49 See Hun , Sco A., Ben o d, Robe D. and Da id A. Snow (1994). Iden i y Fields: F aming
P ocesses and he Social Cons uc ion o Mo emen Iden i ies. In La ana, En ique, Johns on,
Hank and Joseph R. Gus eld (eds.), New Social Mo emen s: F om Ideology o Iden i y. Phila-
delphia: Temple Uni e si y P ess, 185 – 208.
50 See “Con ex ” sec ion.
51 “Suppo a es ” goes back o “suppo a es ed” in ex s. POS ph ases consis o wo ds in
he o iginal dic iona y o m (see “Me hod” sec ion).
The aming combines
egional iden i y as a
p o es egion and he
unexpec ed elec ion o
Fu gal.
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21
mass demons a ions o suppo o he a es ed go e no ook place. Se gey
Fu gal aces li e imp isonmen ” (FB, 11.07.2020), bu does no appea as e-
quen ly as in he p e ious Clus e 1-1. In ac , i belongs o he opics and e-
la ed ph ases which a e included in all clus e s and he e o e only become
isible h ough compa ison o he i ele an ex s ha do no deal wi h he
p o es s a all. The majo aming in Clus e 3, namely he in e p e a ion o
Fu gal’s a es as “ e enge on he p o es egion”, di e en ia es he clus e
om “posi i e” ex s in o he clus e s.
Clus e 4: Rallies in he p o ince
This clus e s ands ou : al hough he ph ases “ ally” and “spon aneous
ally” occu qui e equen ly in he whole co pus, he e hey ea u e e y
p ominen ly — enough o sepa a e his clus e om he es . This is due o
he p e alence o e y b ie ex s ha ha dly include any o he possible
ph ases: “Rally in Chegdomyn! F eedom o Fu gal!” (OK, 13.07.2020), “To-
mo ow on 12 July a ally in Innoken ie ka will ake place in suppo o
S.I. Fu gal. 9pm” (OK, 13.07.2020), “11.07.20 Rally in suppo o ou go e no
Se gey Fu gal and his elease! Need o do i again!!! Ci y o Amu sk” (OK,
13.07.2020). Mos o hese pos s, which include calls o pa icipa ion o he
FIGURE 9
Wo d cloud o he Clus e 2 o he “beginnings” pe iod:
mos impo an pa -o -speech ph ases (15 unig ams, big ams and ig ams) as anked agains
o he clus e s (no agains i ele an ).
Sou ce: T. Golo a, ZOiS

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22
i les o use -c ea ed ideos abou he p o es s e e o ac ions in smalle
owns and illages in he egion, no o wha was happening in Khaba o sk
o Komsomolsk-na-Amu e. Ano he di e ence is ha Pu in is ha dly men-
ioned as an an agonis . The clus e has a speci ic language p o ile: mo e
e e yday language, mo e e o s in g amma and s yle, less o icial and
eloquen mass-media language. The ph ases ela ed o he ames “people’s
go e no ” o “Khaba o sk K ai” a e ma ginal, bu he sho and “simple”
ex s on local p o es ac ions a e none heless ele an o egional iden i y,
because hey make p o es ac ions in he whole egion isible.
Clus e 5: “Pigeon eeding” and he opponen s52
The key line in his clus e e e s o a ela i ely new p o es p ac ice o “ eed-
ing he pigeons” (ph ases such as “ eed he pigeons / кормить голубей”,
“хабаровский голубь / Khaba o sk pigeon”), which has gained p ominence in
Russia in he con ex o Khaba o sk p o es s. In ecen yea s, he use o public
52 Topics ep esen ed in he same clus e can be b ough oge he by being combined in jus a
ew e y popula ex s.
FIGURE 10
Wo d cloud o he Clus e 4 o he “beginnings” pe iod:
mos impo an pa -o -speech ph ases (15 unig ams, big ams and ig ams) as anked agains
o he clus e s (no agains i ele an ).
Sou ce: T. Golo a, ZOiS
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
23
spaces o p o es s in Russia has been sys ema ically es ic ed (along wi h e-
s ic ions on he use o o he spaces o poli ical ac i i ies and ee public dis-
cussions) and pa icipa ion in s ee ac ions has become inc easingly isky in
e ms o bo h iolen esponse and p osecu ion. The ep ession a ound s ee
p o es has a digi al dimension, as online calls o pa icipa ion o he me e
men ion o a s ee ac ion on social ne wo king se ices (SNS) ha e epea edly
been c iminalised, i s and o emos o VKon ak e use s.53 So he ha mless
and essen ially indi idual ac i i y o “ eeding he pigeons” became an i onic
code o collec i e p o es ac ion: “The plan is o eed he pigeons collec i ely.
Sa u day a 12 a Lenin Squa e in Khaba o sk. You can suppo he Khaba o sk
pigeons” (VK.com, 16.07.2020). “All ac ions a e peace ul; oday a 22:45 people
hanked he police and wen home in peace. And as a as I unde s and, people
in end o go ou and eed he pigeons e e y day” (VK.com, 15.07.2020).
The ield o opponen s, which is signi ican in he clus e , combines K emlin
and Pu in himsel (“Pu in is a hie ”), Yu y T u ne , i.e. Pu in’s ep esen a i e
53 An example in he con ex o Khaba o sk p o es s: OVD-In o, Sud a es o al lide a “Le ogo
on a” Se geya Udal so a, 28.07.2020, h ps://o din o.o g/exp ess-news/2020/07/28/sud-
a es o al-lide a-le ogo- on a-se geya-udalco a?u m_sou ce= w&u m_medium=social.
FIGURE 11
Wo d cloud o he Clus e 5 o he “beginnings” pe iod:
mos impo an pa -o -speech ph ases (15 unig ams, big ams and ig ams) as
anked agains o he clus e s (no agains i ele an ).
Sou ce: T. Golo a, ZOiS
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
24
in Dalne os ochny Fede alny Ok ug (whose a i al in Khaba o sk is being
c i icised) and, again, Pu in’s o icial mass media / TV, which end o igno e
he mass p o es s o o misp esen wha happened: “So unny. Khaba o sk
has no laughed like ha in a long ime :)) This is how he mass media a e
co e ing he ma ch in suppo o Fu gal” (VK.com, 16.07.2020). Simila o
he 0 – 1 and 1 – 1 Clus e s, he opponen ield p omo es egional iden i y,
connec ing Pu in’s sys em o he cen e-pe iphe y dimension: “F eedom
o Fu gal! Moscow go home! Pu in is a hie !” (OK. u, 16.07.2020), “Moscow,
hink! Dalne os ochniki a e ac ually calm people. Bu we ha e one weak-
ness — a s ong sense o jus ice. And ha is wha Moscow’s besp edel54 has
done o us ... and yes, hese a e he consequences ...” (OK. u, 13.07.2020).
Digi al p ac ices o solida i y a e some imes desc ibed pejo a i ely as
“slack i ism”, bu hey a e pi o al in Russia, whe e he adi ional media
ba ely unc ion as a c i ical o ce and social media o a long ime we e a
majo sphe e o ela i ely ee poli ical communica ion. Wi h digi al me-
dia being especially impo an o Russia’s NGOs, ac i is s and opposi ion,
i is su p ising ha he me a-discou se abou his p ac ice is only ele an
o one subclus e : “The 4 h day o p o es s o Fu gal. Suppo people o
Khaba o sk by liking, epos ing o commen ing!” (OK. u, 14.07.2020).
The ex s in his clus e esemble he i s Clus e 0-1 in hei ocus on iden-
i y aming: hey desc ibe p o es e s by depic ing hei p ac ices in he
online-o line nexus (“ eeding he pigeons”, which akes place o line as a
collec i e ac ion bu due o he isks is desc ibed online in an i onical and
indi idualised way). The ield o opponen s again comp ises Pu in himsel ,
his ep esen a i e and o icial mass media.
The “posi i e” ex s om he ini ial phase o p o es s we e so ed by he
compu e model induc i ely in o di e en clus e s, so ha each ex belongs
o jus one clus e . Howe e , some majo elemen s o he discou se on Fu -
gal and p o es s in Khaba o sk K ai a e sha ed by di e en clus e s. The
compa ison shows ha hei combina ions and di e en emphases (pa ly
due o he di e en wo dings) c ea e new sha ed in e p e a ions, o ames,
which no only assis social media use s in making sense o wha is happen-
ing, bu ha e ele ance o mobilisa ion.
– E en he mos p ominen ags and ph ases such as “F eedom o Fu gal”
(impo an o Clus e 1-1) o “I / We a e Fu gal” (Clus e s 0 – 1 and 5) a e
une enly dis ibu ed.
– The same is ue o ames ela ing o mass pa icipa ion in p o es s (Clus-
e s 0 – 1 and 1 – 1) o hei se ial cha ac e (Clus e s 0 – 1, 4 and 5), bo h
indices o success ul mobilisa ion and ac o s encou aging u he engage-
men .
– The posi i e ame o “ou go e no ” as a a ian o “people’s go e no ”
aming (Clus e 0-1) is no iden ical wi h he “people’s go e no ” a ian
in Clus e 1-1, because i emphasises he people’s (au onomous) will as em-
bodied by elec ions, ins ead o Fu gal’s alleged quali ies.
54 Besp edel: a si ua ion when he powe ul ac wi hou being cons ained by any ules o con-
side a ions o he han hei own wishes, damaging he social o de .
The ield o
opponen s comp ises
Pu in himsel , his
ep esen a i e and
o icial mass media.
ZOiS Repo 4 / 2021 Mobilising o Regional P o es s on Russian Social Media: The Case o Khaba o sk
25
– The nega i e igu e o Pu in seems o be omnip esen du ing he p o es s
and, as an indica o o he poli ical and adical cha ac e o he Khaba o sk
p o es s, is o pa icula in e es o obse e s, bu in ac i de ines only
Clus e s 0 – 1 and 5.
The a ie y o language s yles and in e p e a ions e lec s he plu ali y o
oices mobilising o p o es . Social media use s suppo ing one in e p e a-
ion o he p oblem (why Fu gal was a es ed and dismissed) and he ela ed
collec i e ac ion (why people a e aking o he s ee s) some imes c i icise
al e na i e aming explici ly, so ha plu ali y is no necessa ily emb aced.
Howe e , i con i ms ha he aming o he Khaba o sk p o es s has no
been s a egically planned.
F aming a ound he a emp ed p o es camp
How did he aming o he 2020 p o es s in Khaba o sk K ai change o e
ime? The pe iod chosen o he compa ison o e ime is he second la ge
peak in he social media co e age o he p o es s, which occu ed in ea ly
Oc obe . While i does no each he “explosion” o pos s igh a he s a o
he p o es s, i s ill clea ly exceeds egula weekly peaks a ound Sa u day
s ee ac ions wi h se e al hund ed — and in he i s ew mon hs, se e al
housand — pa icipan s ( FIGURE 2). The Oc obe peak e lec s he quali a-
i e changes in bo h p o es p ac ices and he s a e’s esponses: on Sa u day
10 Oc obe , he p o es e s ied o build a p o es camp in Lenin Squa e in
on o he egional go e nmen building, which had been a main ocus o
p o es s since he s a . The p ac ice is no new in Khaba o sk bu his was
he i s a emp o his kind du ing his pa icula campaign. The camp was
dispe sed by he special police o ces, wi h nume ous inciden s o police io-
lence and dozens o pe sons de ained. The shock p o oked new spon aneous
ac ions, one in he e ening and one he nex day, so ha quali a i e changes
we e lanked by quan i a i e. This explains he ising numbe s o pos s, and
i is wo h aking a close look a he aming.
The co pus o 1757 SNS ex s om Khaba o sk egion o he pe iod om 8
o 16 Oc obe 2021 was selec ed as desc ibed abo e and di ided using spec-
al clus e ing in o six g oups o ex s de ined as simila acco ding o hei
“ph ases p o ile”. Fo all clus e s, he opic o iolen dispe sal o he ally on
10 Oc obe is p e alen (ph ases like “силовой разгон / iolen dispe sal”,
“жесткий разгон / b u al dispe sal”, “задержание / de en ion”, “разгон
омоном / dispe sal by special o ces”), bu hey ha e di e en emphases and
language p o iles.
The iolen dispe sal and de en ion o p o es e s a e discussed in Clus e s
0, 1 and 3 as p ac ice b ough in om o ini ia ed by Moscow: “Hello e e y-
one! Would you look a ha : secu i y o ces ou o con ol in he middle o
Khaba o sk. Fo su e, an o de came in om Moscow and hey we e eage
o ca y i ou ” (Clus e 3; VK.com, 10.10.2020). The symbolic Dalny Vos ok-
Moscow dimension is applied di ec ly o he police ope a ion.
While in he i s pe iod many clus e s emphasised he excep ional le el o
mass pa icipa ion in he p o es s (mo i a ional aming), i did no wo k
o he second pe iod. Ins ead, in Clus e 0, police b u ali y was di ec ly
Fo he second pe iod,
he opic o iolen
dispe sal o he
10 Oc obe ally is
p e alen .