In October 2025, Russian politician and head of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education, Vladimir Medinsky, gave an interview to the magazine Russian Resurrection. His remarks have already stirred controversy both inside and outside of Russia due to their overtly chauvinistic and racially supremacist tone.

Medinsky, who is well-known for his historical revisionism and nationalist writings, went far beyond his earlier attempts to “debunk myths” about Russia. In the interview, he described the so-called “Russian race” as the “pinnacle of human evolution”, claiming that Russians are the rightful heirs of ancient Aryans and destined to lead humanity. He dismissed the idea of Slavic brotherhood as an “Austrian lie” created to weaken Russia, insisting that only Russians constitute a true nation, while Poles, Ukrainians, and other Slavic peoples are “degraded offshoots” or “lost Russians.”

Most strikingly, Medinsky openly embraced a hierarchical view of society, where non-Russian ethnic groups, particularly migrants from Central Asia and the Muslim world, should serve as a “supporting layer” for the supposed superiority of Russians. In his words, migrants’ “genetic role” is to perform manual labor while Russians dedicate themselves to ruling, creating, and leading. He compared this to a “divine order” in which “Russians shine as the light, while others are the shadow that makes the light stronger.”

Medinsky also glorified a vision of future propaganda: school textbooks teaching children that their “Russian blood is the elixir of victory,” films portraying Russians as Aryan warriors, and monuments celebrating Russian supremacy with Orthodox religious symbols. In his rhetoric, the line between education and indoctrination is completely erased.

His remarks echo dangerous historical parallels. Medinsky himself invoked Nazi Germany, claiming Russia would elevate its people as the Third Reich tried to do for the “Aryans,” but “in a purer, spiritual form.” The aggressive language—speaking of rewriting identities, assimilating entire nations, and using migrants as servants of a higher race—reveals a radical worldview that goes far beyond traditional nationalism.

In short, Medinsky’s statements reflect:

• Extreme chauvinism, framing Russians as racially superior to all others.

• Aggressive historical revisionism, denying the existence of Slavic brotherhood and reducing neighboring nations to “illusions.”

• Racial hierarchy rhetoric, treating migrants and minorities as an underclass whose purpose is to serve Russians.

• Totalitarian propaganda ambitions, aiming to indoctrinate children and the public with racial supremacy myths.

While Medinsky insists this vision will “restore Russia’s greatness,” his words instead underscore a deeply aggressive, exclusionary, and dangerous ideology. They reveal how far parts of Russia’s political establishment are willing to go in promoting supremacist narratives under the guise of historical education.

Read the full interview on the website: https://segodnya-rf.org/2025/10/kskliuzyvnoe-ynterviu-vladymyr-medynskyy-o-velychyy-russkoy-ras-y-budushchem-rossyy/