Environmental Protests and National Identity in a Multinational State: Green Nationalism in the USSR and Modern Russia

The article is devoted to the study of green nationalism as a so­cio-political phenomenon combining envi­ronmental and nationalist aspects through the analysis of environmental protests in national communities. The paper investigat­ed the evolution and dynamics of environ­mental protests in the republics of the USSR during the period of perestroika, as well as modern environmental movements in Russian regions (Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug). The main focus is on how environmental protests are intertwined with nationalist ideas, turning into a tool for political mobi­lization. The research methodology is based on historical, discursive, comparative and content methods of analysis, which made it possible to study the evolution of green nationalism, as well as identify regional features and general patterns of protest ac­tivity. In conclusion, the correlation of green and resource nationalism in the late Soviet and post-Soviet periods is noted. These ar­eas may conflict, but they are able to inte­grate during a period of political mobiliza­tion and defending national interests. The basis for overcoming internal contradictions and strengthening the unity of society in a multinational state can be an identity based on multiethnic, multi-confessional and cul­tural diversity. The main conclusions of the study emphasize that the causes of green nationalism is an important factor in pre­venting the radicalization of political sen­timent in the country. The development of green patriotism as a more constructive and progressive alternative to the development of national communities will help to play a key role in this.

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