Vladimir Zhirinovsky's donkey video

Last updated

Zhirinovsky's own presidential election video, featuring him on a sleigh, which was harnessed with a black donkey Zhirinovsky election campaign video 2012.png
Zhirinovsky's own presidential election video, featuring him on a sleigh, which was harnessed with a black donkey

On 6 February 2012, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the former far-right populist [1] leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, released a 30-second election video on the Internet that featured him on a sleigh which was harnessed with a black donkey. Zhirinovsky later claimed he owned the animal and that the animal was named Proshka (Russian: Прошка, diminutive from Prokhor), after Mikhail Prokhorov, another candidate in the 2012 Russian presidential election. The video was named "Troika" at the official site of the LDPR, [2] but was distributed on YouTube under the title: "Zhirinovsky beats donkey!". [3]

Contents

In the video, Zhirinovsky claimed that the "little wretched donkey" is the symbol of Russia and that if he would become President a "daring troika" would return as a symbol of the country, which "got stuck" at one place just as the donkey. After this, Zhirinovsky whipped the animal to move the sleigh across the snow-covered backyard of his dacha.

Animal welfare and rights organizations accused Zhirinovsky of cruelty to animals in relation to this advertisement. [4] Zhirinovsky was also accused of disdain towards the people of Russia. [5] The video became a subject of wide discussion in the Runet and the Russian media, [3] including presidential TV debates [5] and comedy shows involving Zhirinovsky.

Background

Zhirinovsky speaking publicly in Rtishchevo in 1999 Zhirinovsky Vladimir.jpg
Zhirinovsky speaking publicly in Rtishchevo in 1999

Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky, born in 1946, was a veteran of Russian politics who participated in five Russian presidential elections. [6] He was the founder and long-standing leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. Despite its name and its proclaimed centrist and reformist outlook, the party is frequently described as "neither liberal nor democratic." [7] It is usually regarded as far-right and is identified with Russian ultranationalism, right-wing populism, or national populism and conservatism. [8] [9] [10] Its ideology is based primarily on Zhirinovsky's ideas of "imperial reconquest" (a "renewed Russian Empire") [11] and authoritarian vision of a 'Greater Russia.'" [10] [12]

Zhirinovsky was "often viewed as something of a clown" and "a showman of Russian politics, blending populist and nationalist rhetoric, anti-Western invective and a brash, confrontational style". [13] His campaign slogan for 2012 was "Vote Zhirinovsky, or things will get worse". [13]

Eventually, in the 2012 Russian presidential election, Zhirinovsky was fourth with 6.22% of the votes, behind Prokhorov, who received 7.94%. [6]

Content, controversy, discussions, and secondary usage

The thirty second video was released on the Internet on 6 February 2012, [14] as a part of Zhirinovsky's election campaign. [2] The video is titled "Troika" at the official site of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. [2]

In the video, Zhirinovsky is seen wearing a black fur coat and a black ushanka hat, and sits in a sleigh harnessed with the black donkey. Zhirinovsky begins to speak, claiming that the "little wretched donkey is the symbol of Russia" and that if he, Zhirinovsky, would become the President, a "daring troika" would return as a symbol of Russia. While making the proclamation, Zhirinovsky whips the animal. As the donkey does not immediately pull, Zhirinovsky shouts "It cannot move.... The whole country got stuck...." and continually shouts "Go! Go! Go!" while furiously whipping the animal into moving across the snow-covered backyard of his dacha. A voice-over concludes the video: "Zhirinovsky – it will get better!" [2]

The video was widely discussed on the Internet. It received mostly negative reactions from Russian users. [3] The video also featured on Channel One's comedy show Yesterday Live on 17 March 2012, as part of a spoof news clip from a fictitious US-based TV channel, reporting that, in Russia, there was a shortage of gasoline, with people abandoning cars and resorting to other modes of transportation. [15]

Symbolism

A troika, a traditional Russian icon which Zhirinovsky has controversially replaced with a donkey in his video. Troika akron.jpg
A troika, a traditional Russian icon which Zhirinovsky has controversially replaced with a donkey in his video.

Zhirinovsky referred to an explanation of the origin of troika in a televised election debate with Natalya Narochnitskaya. [5] The Troika has become a cultural icon of Russia, especially after it was featured in a scene of Nikolay Gogol's novel Dead Souls , where a "troika-bird" rides through the vast expanses of Russia. [16] Narochnitskaya accused Zhirinovsky of disdain towards the people of Russia, as well as projecting pessimism and aggression through this video. [5] [17] Zhirinovsky replied that the video is an allegory of what the rulers of Russia had made with the country in the last hundred years. [5] [17]

Naming of the donkey

Zhirinovsky stated during a televised election debate with Gennady Zyuganov, another presidential candidate, that the animal seen in the video is called Proshka. [18] Proshka is the diminutive form of the Greek and Slavic name Prokhor; Zhirinovsky stated that the animal is named after Russian presidential candidate, Mikhail Prokhorov. [19] Later Zhirinovsky confirmed the donkey's name as "Proshka, Prokhor" when he participated as a guest in the comedy talk show Prozhektorperiskhilton on Channel One TV. [19]

This incident did not mark the first time Zhirinovsky named a domestic animal after a rival politician. In the same Prozhektorperiskhilton show, Zhirinovsky also said that he once owned a male sheep called "Ben", which was named after the initials of Russian politician, Boris Efimovich Nemtsov, another political opponent. [20]

Allegations of animal cruelty

According to Zhirinovsky, the animal featured in the video was his own – a present given to him on his 60th birthday. He said that it is kept on his dacha land, and has not been used for any work for the last five years. The animal is claimed by Zhirinovsky to be well-fed, to have separate lodgings, and to live in conditions found "nowhere in the world". [21]

International organizations People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and World Society for the Protection of Animals (Now known as World Animal Protection), as well as Russian animal rights activists, have accused Zhirinovsky of cruelty to animals. Zhirinovsky responded to criticism, saying that similar treatment is commonplace in the Arab world, and that in fact, the animal has been treated "better than many people". [4]

The Central Electoral Commission of Russia commented that there is no regulation on whether and how presidential candidates could use animals in propaganda, but that if the candidates do so, they should take all the risks connected with that. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Zhirinovsky</span> Russian politician (1946–2022)

Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky was a Russian right-wing populist politician and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) from its creation in 1992 until his death in 2022. He had been a member of the State Duma since 1993 and leader of the LDPR group in the State Duma from 1993 to 2000, and from 2011 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberal Democratic Party of Russia</span> Far-right Russian nationalist political party

LDPR — Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is a Russian ultranationalist and right-wing populist political party in Russia. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleg Malyshkin</span> Russian politician

Oleg Alexandrovich Malyshkin is a Russian politician and member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. He was a member of the State Duma of Russia between 2003 and 2007, and stood for President in the 2004 Russian presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Russian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 2 March 2008 and resulted in the election of Dmitry Medvedev as the third President of Russia. Medvedev was elected for a four-year term with the support of incumbent president Vladimir Putin and five political parties, received 71% of the vote, and defeated Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troika (driving)</span> Carriage pulled by three beasts of burden

A troika is a traditional Russian harness driving combination, using three horses abreast, usually pulling a sleigh. It differs from most other three-horse combinations in that the horses are harnessed abreast. The middle horse is usually harnessed in a horse collar and shaft bow; the side horses are usually in breastcollar harness. The troika is traditionally driven so that the middle horse trots and the side horses canter; the right-hand horse will be on the right lead and the left-hand horse on the left lead. The troika is often claimed to be the world's only harness combination with different gaits of the horses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Russian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 4 March 2012. There were five officially registered candidates: four representatives of registered parties, and one nominal independent. The election was the first one held after constitutional amendments were introduced in 2008, in which the elected president for the first time would serve a six-year term, rather than a four-year term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civic Platform (Russia)</span> Political party in Russia

Civic Platform is a conservative political party in Russia. The party was formed on 4 June 2012 by businessman and 2012 presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Russian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Russia on 18 March 2018. Incumbent president Vladimir Putin was eligible to run. He declared his intent to do so on 6 December 2017 and was expected to win. This came following several months of speculation throughout the second half of 2017 as Putin made evasive comments, including that he had still not decided whether he would like to "step down" from the post of president, that he would "think about running", and that he "hadn't yet decided whether to run for another term". Different sources predicted that he would run as an independent to capitalize more support from the population, and although he could also have been nominated by the United Russia party as in 2012, Putin chose to run as an independent. Among registered voters in Russia, 67.5% voted in the election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Degtyarev</span> Russian politician and public figure

Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev is a Russian politician serving as the Minister of Sport since May 2024. He was previously Governor of Khabarovsk Krai from September 2021 until 2024.

The Vladimir Zhirinovsky 1996 presidential campaign was the election campaign of Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the 1996 election.

The 2018 presidential campaign of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, deputy of the State Duma and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, was announced on 28 October 2016. Zhirinovsky was officially nominated on 20 December 2017 at the Liberal Democratic Party's 31st annual congress. He submitted to the Central Election Commission the documents required for registration the next day.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a member of the State Duma from 1993 to 2022, former leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and perennial Russian presidential candidate, took positions on many political issues through his public comments, his presidential campaign statements, and his voting record.

The Vladimir Zhirinovsky presidential campaign, 2000 was the election campaign of Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the 2000 election.

The Vladimir Zhirinovsky 2008 presidential campaign was the election campaign of Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the 2008 election. This was Zhirinovsky's fourth campaign for the Russian presidency, as he had previously run in the 1991, 1996, and 2000 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Zhirinovsky 2012 presidential campaign</span> Election campaign of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

The Vladimir Zhirinovsky 2012 presidential campaign was the election campaign of Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the 2012 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Prokhorov 2012 presidential campaign</span> Russian presidential campaign

The Mikhail Prokhorov 2012 presidential campaign was the 2012 campaign of businessman Mikhail Prokhorov for the Russian presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural references to donkeys</span> Donkeys as depicted in culture

There are many cultural references to donkeys or asses, in myth, folklore and religion, in language and in literature.

Gubernatorial elections in 2002 took place in twelve regions of the Russian Federation.

The 34th Congress of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia was held on 27 May 2022 to elect a new party leader, after the death of Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonid Slutsky 2024 presidential campaign</span>

The 2024 presidential campaign of Leonid Slutsky, deputy of the State Duma and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, was announced on 19 December 2023, during the party's congress.

References

  1. ↑ Russia parliament elections: How the parties line up BBC
  2. 1 2 3 4 The election campaign video "Тройка" ("Troika"). Official site of the LDPR.
  3. 1 2 3 Шалимова, Мария. В сети представлен ролик "Жириновский и будет лучше!" ["Zhirinovsky And It Will Get Better" advertisement appears on the web] (in Russian). profi-forex.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "WSPA и PETA обвинили Жириновского в жестоком обращении с ослом" [WSPA and PETA accused Zhirinovsky in crueltu to the donkey] (in Russian). NewDayNews.Ru. 8 February 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Выборы – 2012. Владимир Жириновский и Наталья Нарочницкая [The 2012 elections. Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Natalya Narochnitskaya] (in Russian). Channel One.
  6. 1 2 History of Presidential Elections in Russia: Infographics RIAN
  7. ↑ Timothy Colton, Yeltsin: A Life (2011), p. 282; Donald J. Raleigh, Soviet Baby Boomers: An Oral History of Russia's Cold War Generation, p. 327; The troubled birth of Russian democracy: parties, personalities, and programs. p. 244.
  8. ↑ Russian Political Parties Directory (1999), p. 65.
  9. ↑ Peter H. Merkl and Leonard Weinberg, Right-wing extremism in the twenty-first century (2003). Psychology Press: p. x.
  10. 1 2 Hans-Georg Betz, Radical right-wing populism in Western Europe (1994). Palgrave Macmillan: p. 23.
  11. ↑ Stephen E. Hanson, Post-Imperial Democracies: Ideology and Party Formation in Third Republic France, Weimar Germany, and Post-Soviet Russia (2011). Cambridge University Press.
  12. ↑ John B. Dunlop, The Rise of Russia and the Fall of the Soviet Empire (2011). Princeton University Press, p. 167.
  13. 1 2 Profiles of Russia's 2012 presidential election candidates BBC
  14. ↑ Воплощение идеи "Жириновский, или будет хуже": бичевание осла (ВИДЕО) [The Implementation of the slogan "Zhirinovsky, or it will get worse": whipping a donkey (VIDEO)] (in Russian). newsru.com. 6 February 2012.
  15. ↑ "Yesterday Live: Выпуск от 17 марта" [Yesterday Live: 17 March] (in Russian). Channel One.
  16. ↑ Translation taken from the "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol. Gutenberg.org
  17. 1 2 Жириновский ответил за осла (ВИДЕО) [Zhirinovsky takes account for the donkey (VIDEO)] (in Russian). km.ru.
  18. ↑ ТВ не место для дебатов [TV is not a place for debates] (in Russian). Kommersant. 20 February 2012.
  19. 1 2 Владимир Жириновский рассказал про осла Прошку [Vladimir Zhirinovsky told about Proshka the donkey] (in Russian). vokrug.tv. 15 August 2023.
  20. ↑ Zhirinovsky: Russia's political eccentric BBC
  21. ↑ Жириновский признался, что любит животных [Zhirinovsky confessed that he loves animals] (in Russian). regnum.ru.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.