Russian Political Discourse on Illegal Drugs: A Thematic Analysis of Parliamentary Debates

Lilja, My

doi:10.1080/10826084.2021.1906275

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…89-94) of the theme. And vice versa-themes are identified also by statements in the text that "go together because they have a common point of reference" (Lilja 2021(Lilja , p. 1011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Moscow Patriarchs in the Promotion of the Imperial Culture of Sobornost’: Thematic Analysis of Religious Leaders’ Speeches at the World Russian People’s Council 1993–2022

Kilp

Pankhurst

2023

Religions

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In post-soviet Russia, sobornost’ has been a historic ideal and cultural resource that diverse actors have used in order to construct anew the nation’s dignity and status. This study analyses the promotion of the (imperial) culture of sobornost’ by Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Alexy based on 36 speeches they delivered from 1993 to 2022 at the World Russian People’s Council, in a forum purposefully established to enhance the culture of sobornost’/solidarity in Russian society. The findings of a qualitative thematic analysis of the speeches identified common themes (such as ‘true historical path’), thematic changes (such as the adoption of geopolitical discourse on family), thematic emphases uniquely present at particular ‘times’ (such as at the EU enlargement of 2004), themes related to the promotion of sobornost’ at the level of the trans-national church, and its correlates—Russian state-civilization, globalization, and confrontation with the West. The findings demonstrate agreement in the messages of Patriarch Alexy and Patriarch Kirill as well as specific content and style that were articulated only by the latter. In the conclusion, we compare Kirill’s culture of sobornost’ with Roman Catholic synodality and with Russian 19th century applications of the same concept, and Kirill’s entrepreneurial construction of national identity from the perspective of glocalization.

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“…89-94) of the theme. And vice versa-themes are identified also by statements in the text that "go together because they have a common point of reference" (Lilja 2021(Lilja , p. 1011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Moscow Patriarchs in the Promotion of the Imperial Culture of Sobornost’: Thematic Analysis of Religious Leaders’ Speeches at the World Russian People’s Council 1993–2022

Kilp

Pankhurst

2023

Religions

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“…Prior to the digitalization of the drug trade, Russia had experienced several significant trends in illegal drug consumption: a large increase in heroin use in the 1990s (Paoli, 2002), a wave of popularity of desomorphine in the 2000s (Zheluk et al., 2014), and a very high rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from injection drug use (Fairbairn et al., 2016). The official drug policy in Russia focuses on criminalization (Lilja, 2021), and there is limited availability of harm reduction services in the country (Harm Reduction International, 2022). For example, the Russian government has progressively tightened regulations on publishing information related to illicit drug use on the Internet (Zheluk et al., 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydra: Lessons from the world's largest darknet market

Goonetilleke,

Knorre,

Kuriksha

2023

Criminology & Public Policy

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Research SummaryWe present a comprehensive description of Hydra, the largest darknet marketplace in the world until its shutdown in April 2022. We document the main features of Hydra such as dead‐drop delivery, feedback and reputation system, escrow, and dispute resolution. Using data scraped from the platform, we quantitatively examine the scale and the structure of the marketplace. We find that it has been highly competitive, geographically covering at least 69% of the Russian population and trading a wide variety of drugs, while also allowing the wholesale trade of drugs and precursors. The dead‐drop delivery system used on Hydra was expensive, as the courier costs comprised a substantial proportion of the sale price of drugs on Hydra. We contribute to the research on drug cryptomarkets by studying an unprecedentedly large non‐Western marketplace that existed substantially longer than any other known darknet market.Policy ImplicationsThe phenomenon of Hydra shows that shut‐down policies applied to darknet marketplaces have a large effect and implicitly shape the whole drug market. Without these policies, a pervasive digitalization of the drug trade can occur. The major cost of allowing marketplaces to grow is the probable increase in the consumption of illegal drugs due to convenience for consumers and facilitated cooperation between suppliers. This cost must be weighed against the potential benefits, including a higher quality of drugs, a decrease in potential violence, and the incentives for a large marketplace to self‐regulate. The case of Hydra also suggests the relevance of financial regulation to limit the growth of darknet marketplaces.

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