Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
Либерально-демократическая партия России
AbbreviationLDPR
ЛДПР
ChairmanLeonid Slutsky
Deputy Head of the Supreme CouncilAlexey Ostrovsky[1]
State Duma faction leaderLeonid Slutsky
State Duma faction's
apparatus head
Maxim Zaytsev [ru][1]
FounderVladimir Zhirinovsky
Founded18 April 1992; 32 years ago (1992-04-18)[2][3]
Preceded byLiberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union (LDPSU)
Headquarters1st Basmanny Lane, 3 building 1, Moscow
NewspaperFor the Russian People
Youth wingYouth Organization of LDPR
Membership (2019)295,018[4][dead link]
Ideology
Political positionRight-wing[18] to far-right[21]
International affiliationWorld Congress of Patriotic Parties (2003)[22]
Affiliated partiesLiberal Democratic Party of Belarus
Liberal Democratic Party of Transnistria
Colours    Yellow and blue (official)
  Light blue (customary)
SloganFreedom, Patriotism, Law
(Russian: «Свобода, патриотизм, закон»)
AnthemLDPR — Velikaya Rossiya! (ЛДПР — Великая Россия!)
Seats in the Federation Council
3 / 178
Seats in the State Duma
21 / 450
Governors
0 / 85
Seats in the Regional Parliaments
236 / 3,928
Ministers
1 / 31
Party flag
Website
ldpr.ru Edit this at Wikidata

LDPR — Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (Russian: ЛДПР — Либерально-демократическая партия России, romanizedLDPR — Liberalno-demokraticheskaya partiya Rossii)[23][24] is a Russian ultranationalist and right-wing populist political party. It succeeded the Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union (LDPSU) in Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The party was led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky since its inception until his death in April 2022. Opposing both communism and capitalism of the 1990s, the party scored a major success in the 1993 Duma elections with almost 23% of the vote, giving it 64 seats of the 450 seats in the State Duma. In the 2021 elections, the party received 7.55% of the vote, giving it 21 seats.

Despite the party's name, it has been described as "neither liberal nor democratic nor a party".[25][26][27] The LDPR was centred around Zhirinovsky,[28][10] and is often described as populist,[10][29][30] nationalist,[31][32][33] or ultranationalist.[5][34] It has been described as adhering to statism and authoritarianism,[35][36][37][38] and has also been described as fascist,[39][40][41] though this label has been disputed.[29] The party, as part of the "systemic opposition", is considered to be traditionally loyal to the Kremlin.[10][42][43] Its members are generally called "zhirinovets" (Russian: жириновец, lit. 'Zhirinovite').[44][45]

History

Former version of the logo

Creation

Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union

An effectively multi-party system emerged in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s in wake of Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms. A formal law for this purpose was introduced in October 1990. In April 1991, the Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union (LDPSU) became the second officially registered political party in the country.[2]

Former KGB General Filipp Bobkov has stated that "in line with Zubatov's ideas," the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union "proposed creating a pseudo-party controlled by the KGB" to direct the interests and sentiments of certain social groups, however he said that he was against the idea. Former Politburo member Alexander Yakovlev described how KGB director Vladimir Kryuchkov proposed the creation of the party with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at a meeting.[46] He also stated that the Central Committee took over which led to the creation of the Liberal Democratic Party. Yakovlev called the creation of the party a joint effort of the Central Committee and the KGB.[47][48] In the early 1990s, Mayor of Saint Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak claimed that party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky was a "reserve" KGB captain, and a number of key supporters in the LDPR leadership quit the party, accusing Zhirinovsky of KGB ties.[49]

The outspoken leader of the party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an effective media performer,[2] gained 8% of votes during the 1991 presidential elections.[50] He also supported the August 1991 coup attempt.[51]

Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

In 1992, the LDPSU broke apart into its regional offsprings and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) was created as its successor in Russia.

1993–1999

In the 1993 Duma elections, the pro-reform party supporting President Boris Yeltsin, Russia's Choice, received only 15% of the vote and the new Communist Party of the Russian Federation only 12.4%. The LDPR emerged as the winner with 22.9% of the popular vote. In effect, the Russian population was divided to those who supported Yeltsin's reforms and to those who did not. It is regarded that the popularity of Zhirinovsky and his party arose from the electorate's dissatisfaction with Yeltsin and their desire for a non-communist solution.[52]

Zhirinovsky is credited with having successfully identified the problems of ordinary Russians and offering simple remedies to solve them. For example, he has suggested that all leaders of organized crime should be shot and all Chechens deported from Russia.[2] Zhirinovsky also called for territorial expansion of Russia. Many of Zhirinovsky's views are highly controversial and the LDPR's success in the early 1990s shocked observers both inside and outside Russia.[50]

The Duma elected in 1993 was as an interim solution and its mandate expired in 1995. During the two years, Zhirinovsky's popularity waned and his party's support was halved in the 1995 elections (11.2%). The Communists emerged as the winners, with 22.3% of the vote.[52]

In the presidential elections of 1996, the LDPR nominated Vladimir Zhirinovsky as a candidate. Zhirinovsky gained 5.7% of the votes in the first round.

In 1999, the party participated in the elections as a "Bloc of Zhirinovsky" since the Central Election Commission initially refused to register in the election lists of LDPR, which received 6.0% of the votes.[53] In the 3rd State Duma, Zhirinovsky took up the post of Deputy Chair of the State Duma and the post of the head of the faction occupied by his son Igor Lebedev.

2000–2009

In the presidential election of 2000, the party has again put forward Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who won 2.7% of votes.

In the parliamentary elections of 2003, the party won 11.5% of the votes and received 36 seats.

In the 2004 presidential election, the LDPR nominated Oleg Malyshkin. The party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky was hoping to take the post of Prime Minister of Russia in case of Malyshkin's victory on elections. In the end, Malyshkin scored 2% of votes, having lost the election.[54]

In the legislative elections in 2007, the LDPR received 5,660,823 votes (8.14%) and received 40 seats in the State Duma.[52]

In the 2008 presidential election, Zhirinovsky was re-nominated as a candidate and scored 9.4% of the vote.

2010–2019

Rally of the LDPR in 2012

In the parliamentary elections of 2011, the party scored 11.7% of the vote and won 56 seats. In the 6th State Duma, Vladimir Zhirinovsky returned to the post of head of the LDPR faction and his son Igor Lebedev has held the position of Vice Chairman of the State Duma. In these elections the LDPR gained over one-fifth of votes in Russian Far East (e. g. Primorsky Krai).

In the presidential elections 2012, the party again put forward by Zhirinovsky, whose campaign slogan for 2012 was "Vote Zhirinovsky, or things will get worse".[55] Proshka, a donkey owned by Zhirinovsky, became prominent during the presidential campaign when he was filmed in an election advertisement video. On the last episode of debates with Mikhail Prokhorov just before the elections, Zhirinovsky produced a scandal by calling those Russian celebrities which supported Prokhorov, including a pop-diva and a veteran of Russian pop scene Alla Pugacheva, "prostitutes" ("I thought you are an artful person, politician, cunning man, but you are just a clown and a psycho", replied Pugacheva. "I am what I am. And such is my charm", replied Zhirinovsky).[56] As a result, Zhirinovsky gained 6.2% of the votes.

During the diplomatic crisis following the 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown by Turkey, Zhirinovsky suggested to bomb the Bosporus with nuclear weapons.[57]

In the parliamentary elections in 2016, the party improved its result compared to the previous elections. The LDPR surpassed the center-left party A Just Russia, becoming the third largest party in the State Duma. The LDPR won 39 seats, gaining 13.1% of the vote, nearly reaching the second placed Communist Party, which won 13.3% of votes and 42 seats. Also, the party gained single-member constituencies in Russian Far East (notably in Khabarovsk Krai).

In 2015, Zhirinovsky expressed a desire to participate in the presidential elections in 2018. In the past, key figures in the LDPR other than Zhirinovsky had been discussed as potential presidential candidates, such as Zhirinovsky's son Igor Lebedev as well as his close associates Mikhail Degtyarev, Yaroslav Nilov and Alexei Didenko.[58] After the parliamentary elections of 2016, Zhirinovsky said he would run himself.[59]

2020–present

On 9 July 2020, the popular governor of the Khabarovsk Krai and member of the LDPR, Sergei Furgal, who defeated the candidate of Putin's United Russia party in elections two years previously, was arrested and flown to Moscow on charges of involvement in the murders of several businessmen in 2004 and 2005.[60] He denied the allegations.[61] Starting on 11 June, mass protests were held in Khabarovsk Krai in support of Furgal. On 20 July, President Vladimir Putin dismissed Furgal from his position of governor and appointed Moscow-based politician Mikhail Degtyarev, who is also a member of the LDPR, as acting governor. Several regional lawmakers in Khabarovsk opted to leave the LDPR in protest against Furgal's dismissal.[62] The protests included chants of "shame on LDPR",[63] with LDPR loyalists outraged at the party leadership's failure to rally around Furgal.[64]

Zhirinovsky's death

Party members and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin at the funeral service of Zhirinovsky

In February 2022, Zhirinovsky was hospitalized in critical condition in Moscow with COVID-19.[65][66] In March, he was reportedly placed in a medically induced coma,[67] and underwent treatment for COVID-19 complications such as sepsis and respiratory failure.[68][69] Zhirinovsky claimed to have been vaccinated against COVID-19 eight times.[70]

On 25 March 2022, Zhirinovsky was reported to have died in a hospital. Despite confirmation from several sources, including his own political party, the news was quickly denied by family members.[71] On 6 April 2022, Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the Duma, announced that Zhirinovsky had died following a long illness. He was 75.[72][73]

After Zhirinovsky's death, Leonid Slutsky, the head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, was elected party leader.[64]

Political positions

The LDPR seeks "a revival of Russia as a great power". It opposes both communism and neoliberal capitalism. It prefers a mixed economy with private ownership, but with a strong management role reserved for the state.[14] In foreign policy, the party places a strong emphasis on "civilizations". It has supported the restoration of Russia with its "natural borders" (which the party believes include Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Belarus and Ukraine).[74] The LDPR regards the United States and NATO[75] as Russia's main external threats. The party has harshly criticised the discrimination against ethnic Russians in the Baltic states and demanded that they should be given Russian citizenship and protected against discriminatory legislation.[2] The LDPR is also against corruption[76] and enlargement of the European Union, identifying as a Eurosceptic party,[77] instead preferring pan-Slavism.[15] Professor Henry E. Hale lists the party's main policy stands as nationalism and a focus in law and order. Although it often uses radical opposition rhetoric, the LDPR frequently votes for government proposals. This has led to speculation that the party receives funding from the Kremlin.[50] Political parties in Russia that had broken the 3% voting barrier and entered the parliament (State Duma) are officially financed by government, according to federal law. As such, all opposition parties in the State Duma are largely funded by the federal budget (e. g. in 2018, LDPR received 99.7% of its funding from the government, CPRF 90%, and A Just Russia 81%).[78][79]

Zhirinovsky had stated that he wants to see a monarch titled "supreme ruler" lead Russia and had promised to shoot his political opponents if elected president.[80][81][82]

Structure and membership

Founder and first party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky

The party's organization was almost entirely centered on its former leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who died on 6 April 2022.[50][83]

The party is in alliance with several parties in the former Soviet republics, including Armenia, Belarus, Estonia and Ukraine.[84][85]

In 2003, the party claimed 600,000 members and had issued 475,000 party cards.[2] According to a 2008 survey by Colton, Hale and McFaul, 4% of the Russian population are loyalists of the party.[50]

Electoral results

Presidential

Election Candidate First round Second round Result
Votes % Votes %
1991 Vladimir Zhirinovsky 6,211,007 7.81 Lost
1996 4,311,479 5.70 Lost
2000 2,026,513 2.70 Lost
2004 Oleg Malyshkin 1,405,315 2.02 Lost
2008 Vladimir Zhirinovsky 6,988,510 9.35 Lost
2012 4,458,103 6.22 Lost
2018 4,154,985 5.65 Lost
2024 Leonid Slutsky 2,795,629 3.24 Lost

State Duma

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Rank Government
1993 Vladimir Zhirinovsky 12,318,562 22.92
64 / 450
1st Opposition
1995 7,737,431 11.18
51 / 450
Decrease 13 Decrease 3rd Opposition (1995–98)
Coalition (1998–99)
Support (1999)
1999 3,990,038 5.98
17 / 450
Decrease 34 Decrease 5th Support
2003 6,944,322 11.45
36 / 450
Increase 19 Increase 3rd Support
2007 5,660,823 8.14
40 / 450
Increase 4 Steady 3rd Support
2011 7,664,570 11.67
56 / 450
Increase 16 Decrease 4th Support
2016 6,917,063 13.14
39 / 450
Decrease 17 Increase 3rd Support
2021 4,252,096 7.55
21 / 450
Decrease 18 Decrease 4th Support (2021–2024)
Coalition (2024–present)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Структура".
  2. ^ a b c d e f White, Stephen (2005). "The Political Parties". In White; Gitelman; Sakwa (eds.). Developments in Russian Politics. Vol. 6. Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3522-0.
  3. ^ Russiaprofile Archived 20 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ (in Russian) Партия — ЛДПР // архивировано 06.03.2019
  5. ^ a b "Putin names new governor of restive Russian region hit by protests". Reuters. 20 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Ultranationalists Move to Slap Fines on Use of Foreign Words". 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Russia's Trump, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Wants to Build a Wall, Ban Muslims, and Nuke the White House". The Daily Beast. 13 April 2017.
  8. ^ [5][6][7]
  9. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2016). "Russia". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d "Russia parliament elections: How the parties line up". BBC News Russian. 6 March 2012.
  11. ^ [9][10]
  12. ^ Oates, Sarah (May 9, 2013). Revolution Stalled: The Political Limits of the Internet in the Post-Soviet Sphere. OUP USA. ISBN 9780199735952 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Russian Government and Politics.
  14. ^ a b Wodak, Ruth (21 September 2015). The Politics of Fear: What Right-Wing Populist Discourses Mean. SAGE. ISBN 9781473914179. Retrieved 15 September 2017 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ a b IBP USA Russia Parliament Encyclopedic Directory Strategic Information and Contacts p. 259.
  16. ^ Colton, Timothy J.; Hough, Jerry F. (1 December 2010). Growing Pains: Russian Democracy and the Election of 1993. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 9780815715009. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Russian News Outlets Boycott Parliament After Harassment Decision". The New York Times. 22 March 2018.
  18. ^ [16][17]
  19. ^ Dorell, Oren. "Putin's Russia: These are the candidates in an election some call a charade". USA Today. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  20. ^ Stanovaya, Tatyana (2 April 2019). "The End of Kremlin's Dominance in the Regions". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  21. ^ [19][20]
  22. ^ Shekhovtsov, Anton (2017-02-06). "Moscow and the far right in France and Austria". Eurozine. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  23. ^ "Устав ЛДПР". ldpr.ru. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  24. ^ "Партия — Официальный сайт ЛДПР, информационное агентство ЛДПР, новости ЛДПР". ldpr.ru. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  25. ^ Colton, Timothy J. (2008). Yeltsin: A Life. Basic Books. p. 282. ISBN 978-0-7867-3212-8.
  26. ^ Raleigh, Donald J. (2013). Soviet Baby Boomers: An Oral History of Russia's Cold War Generation. Oxford University Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-19-931123-1.
  27. ^ McFaul, Michael; Markov, Sergei (1993). The Troubled Birth of Russian Democracy: Parties, Personalities, and Programs. Hoover Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-8179-9233-0.
  28. ^ White, Stephen; Sakwa, Richard; Hale, Henry E. (2010). Developments in Russian Politics 7. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-4459-9.
  29. ^ a b Laruelle, Marlène (2009). In the Name of the Nation: Nationalism and Politics in Contemporary Russia. Axel Springer. pp. 85–117. ISBN 978-0-230-10123-4.
  30. ^ "Russia arrests governor on suspicion of ordering murders". Al Jazeera. 9 July 2020.
  31. ^ "Supporter Of Jailed Former Governor Sentenced In Russia's Far East". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 20 April 2021.
  32. ^ Luxmoore, Matthew (17 July 2020). "'The Kremlin Is Shocked': Moscow Scrambles For A Response As Protests Rock Russia's Far East". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  33. ^ "Russian election: Big victory for Putin-backed party United Russia". BBC News Russian. 19 September 2016.
  34. ^ "Sergei Furgal: The arrest fuelling anti-Moscow anger in Russia's far east". BBC News Russian. 17 July 2020.
  35. ^ Dunlop, John B. (1995). The Rise of Russia and the Fall of the Soviet Empire. Princeton University Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-691-00173-9.
  36. ^ Merkl, Peter (2004). Right-wing Extremism in the Twenty-first Century. Psychology Press. pp. X. ISBN 978-1-135-76421-0.
  37. ^ Betz, Hans-Georg (1994). Radical Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe. Axel Springer. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-349-23547-6.
  38. ^ Hanson, Stephen E. (2010). Post-Imperial Democracies: Ideology and Party Formation in Third Republic France, Weimar Germany, and Post-Soviet Russia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 220–222. ISBN 978-1-139-49149-5.
  39. ^ Umland, Andreas (2008). "Zhirinovsky's Last Thrust to the South and the Definition of Fascism". Russian Politics & Law. 46 (4): 31–44. doi:10.2753/RUP1061-1940460402. ISSN 1061-1940. S2CID 145642992.
  40. ^ Kailitz, Steffen; Umland, Andreas (2017). "Why fascists took over the Reichstag but have not captured the Kremlin: a comparison of Weimar Germany and post-Soviet Russia". Nationalities Papers. 45 (2): 206–221. doi:10.1080/00905992.2016.1258049. ISSN 0090-5992. S2CID 157501716.
  41. ^ "Fascism". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  42. ^ Semenov, Andrei (16 June 2020). "Electoral Performance and Mobilization of Opposition Parties in Russia". Russian Politics. 5 (2): 236–254. doi:10.30965/24518921-00502005. ISSN 2451-8913. S2CID 225675903.
  43. ^ Coalson, Robert (4 June 2019). "Managing To Win: Sagging Popularity Forces Russia's Ruling Party To Dig Into Its Bag Of Election Tricks". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  44. ^ "Значение слова ЖИРИНОВЕЦ. Что такое ЖИРИНОВЕЦ?". kartaslov.ru. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  45. ^ "жириновец", Викисловарь (in Russian), 2022-05-20, retrieved 2022-11-25
  46. ^ "Russia: political parties in a 'managed democracy'" (PDF). European Parliament. December 2014.
  47. ^ Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev Time of darkness, Moscow, 2003, ISBN 5-85646-097-9, page 574 (Russian: Яковлев А. Сумерки. Москва: Материк 2003 г., [http://www.pseudology.org/democracy/YakovlevSumerki.pdf www.pseudology.org)
  48. ^ Bidder, Benjamin (28 February 2008). "Nuclear Threats and Busty Ladies in the Race for Second-Place in Russia". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  49. ^ Anderson, Jack; Binstein, Michael (31 January 1994). "SHADOWS FROM ZHIRINOVSKY'S PAST". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  50. ^ a b c d e Hale, Henry E. (2010). "Russia's political parties and their substitutes". In White, Stephen (ed.). Developments in Russian Politics 7. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-22449-0.
  51. ^ "Либерально-демократическая партия России". Kommersant. 12 September 2016.
  52. ^ a b c McFaul, Michael; Stoner-Weiss, Kathryn (2010). "Elections and Voters". In White, Stephen (ed.). Developments in Russian Politics 7. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-22449-0.
  53. ^ "ИТОГИ ВЫБОРОВ В ГОСУДАРСТВЕННУЮ ДУМУ". panorama.ru. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  54. ^ "По отработанному сценарию". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  55. ^ "Profiles of Russia's 2012 presidential election candidates". BBC. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  56. ^ "Жириновский устроил скандал на дебатах с Пугачевой". Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  57. ^ "Jirinovski'den korkunç teklif: "İstanbul Boğazına atom bombası atalım!"". Sözcü (in Turkish). 27 November 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  58. ^ "Жириновский пойдёт на выборы президента с четырьмя преемниками". Life.ru. 2 March 2016.
  59. ^ "Владимир Жириновский снова собрался в президенты". 28 October 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017 – via Kommersant.
  60. ^ "News Russia's city Khabarovsk rises against Vladimir Putin". Deutsche Welle. 4 August 2020.
  61. ^ "Sergei Furgal: The arrest fuelling anti-Moscow anger in Russia's far east". BBC News. 17 July 2020.
  62. ^ "Anti-Putin Protests in Russia's Far East Gather Steam". VOA News. 25 July 2020.
  63. ^ "Anger at Kremlin Grows in Latest Massive Russian Far East Protest". The Moscow Times. 25 July 2020.
  64. ^ a b "Zhirinovsky's Presence Missed as LDPR Scrabbles For Successor". The Moscow Times. 12 April 2022.
  65. ^ "Russian Ultranationalist Zhirinovsky Reportedly Hospitalized In Serious Condition With COVID". Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty. Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  66. ^ "Russian State Duma legislator Vladimir Zhirinovsky hospitalized in serious condition in Moscow". Armen Press. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  67. ^ "Умер Владимир Жириновский". ria.ru. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  68. ^ "Vladimir Zhirinovsky reported dead, Duma Speaker denies reports". AKI Press. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  69. ^ "Telegram Channel 112: Vladimir Zhirinovsky is in a critical condition". News.Am. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  70. ^ "Russian far-right politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky dies at 75". The Guardian. 6 April 2022.
  71. ^ "СМИ ошибочно сообщили о смерти Жириновского. Минздрав и спикер Госдумы заявили, что он жив". BBC News Русская Служба.
  72. ^ "Russian far-right politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky dies at 75". Reuters. 6 April 2022.
  73. ^ "Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Far-Right Court Jester of Russian Politics, Dies at 75". The Moscow Times. 6 April 2022.
  74. ^ "СТРУКТУРА | ИСТОРИЯ | ПРОГРАММА | УСТАВ | ГИМН || ЛДПР". ldpr.ru.
  75. ^ Russia and the Western Far Right: Tango Noir.
  76. ^ "Caucasian Knot | LDPR activists mark start of road repairs in Stavropol with anti-corruption picket". Archived from the original on 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  77. ^ "How Moscow is spreading its propaganda using EU-funded media - InformNapalm.org (English)". 12 March 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  78. ^ "Summary Financial Reports of Political Parties for 2018 - Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation". Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  79. ^ Andreychuk, Stanislav (3 April 2019). "Why Does the Russian State Pick Up the Bill For Political parties?". Riddle. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  80. ^ "Zhirinovski: 'I'll take the world to the brink of war' DW English". DW News. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  81. ^ "Who Will Be Russia's Next President?". NowThisWorld. 19 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  82. ^ "Russian Politician Zhirinovsky Pledges to 'Shoot' Opponents in Parliament". The Moscow Times. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  83. ^ "OBITUARY Vladimir Zhirinovsky, dark showman of the Russian far right". Reuters. 6 April 2022.
  84. ^ "Председатель Либерально-демократической партии Азербайджана Фуад Алиев встретится с Владимиром Жириновским". Trend.Az (in Russian). 2005-12-07. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  85. ^ "С кем дружат белорусские партии?". Белорусская деловая газета. 13 March 2013.