Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Donkey Video
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On 6 February 2012,
Vladimir Zhirinovsky Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky, ''né'' Eidelshtein (russian: link=false, Эйдельштейн) (25 April 1946 – 6 April 2022) was a Russian right-wing populist politician and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) fr ...
, the former far-right
populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...
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: link=no, Прошка, diminutive from Prokhor), after
Mikhail Prokhorov Mikhail Dmitrievich Prokhorov ( rus, Михаил Дмитриевич Прохоров, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈproxərəf; born 3 May 1965) is a Russian-Israeli oligarch, politician, and former owner of the Brooklyn Nets. I ...
, another candidate in the
2012 Russian presidential election 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 amend ...
. The video was named "Troika" at the official site of the LDPR, but was distributed on YouTube under the title: "Zhirinovsky beats donkey!". In the video, Zhirinovsky claimed that the "little wretched donkey" is the symbol of
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and that if he would become
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
a "daring
troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Pol ...
" 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 A dacha ( rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ') or shack serving as a family's main or only home, or an outbu ...
. Animal welfare and rights organizations accused Zhirinovsky of cruelty to animals in relation to this advertisement. Zhirinovsky was also accused of disdain towards the people of Russia. The video became a subject of wide discussion in the
Runet Runet (russian: Рунет), a portmanteau of ru (code for both the Russian language and Russia's top-level domain) and net/network, is the Russian-language community on the Internet and websites. The term Runet was coined in Israel in the sp ...
and the Russian media, including presidential TV debates and comedy shows involving Zhirinovsky.


Background

Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky, born in 1946, was a veteran of
Russian politics The politics of Russia take place in the framework of the federal semi-presidential republic of Russia. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exerc ...
who participated in five Russian
presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pr ...
. He was the founder and long-standing leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. Despite its name and its proclaimed
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...
and reformist outlook, the party is frequently described as "neither liberal nor democratic." It is usually regarded as far-right and is identified with Russian
ultranationalism Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an Extremism, extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, Supremacism, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coerc ...
, right-wing populism, or national populism and conservatism.Hans-Georg Betz, ''Radical right-wing populism in Western Europe'' (1994). Palgrave Macmillan: p. 23. Its ideology is based primarily on Zhirinovsky's ideas of " imperial reconquest" (a "renewed
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
") and authoritarian vision of a ' Greater Russia.'" Zhirinovsky was "often viewed as something of a clown" and "a
showman Showman can have a variety of meanings, usually by context and depending on the country. Australia Travelling showmen are people who run amusement and side show equipment at regional shows, state capital shows, events and festivals througho ...
of Russian politics, blending populist and nationalist rhetoric, anti-Western invective and a brash, confrontational style".Profiles of Russia's 2012 presidential election candidates
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
His campaign slogan for 2012 was "Vote Zhirinovsky, or things will get worse". Eventually, in the
2012 Russian presidential election 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 amend ...
, Zhirinovsky was fourth with 6.22% of the votes, behind Prokhorov, who received 7.94%.History of Presidential Elections in Russia: Infographics
RIAN RIA Novosti (russian: РИА Новости), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (russian: РИА, label=none) is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013 by a decree of Vladimir Putin it was liquidated and its asset ...


Content, controversy, discussions, and secondary usage

The thirty second video was released on the Internet on 6 February 2012, as a part of Zhirinovsky's election campaign.The election campaign video "Тройка" ("Troika")
Official site of the
LDPR LDPR — Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (russian: ЛДПР — Либерально-демократическая партия России, LDPR — Liberal'no-demokraticheskaya partiya Rossii) is a right-wing populist and ultranationalist p ...
. The video is titled "
Troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Pol ...
" at the official site of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. In the video, Zhirinovsky is seen wearing a black
fur coat Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...
and a black
ushanka An ushanka ( rus, уша́нка, p=ʊˈʂankə, from , "ears"), also called an ''ushanka- hat'' ( rus, ша́пка-уша́нка, p=ˈʂapkə ʊˈʂankə), is a Russian fur cap with ear-covering flaps that can be tied up to the crown of the ...
hat, and sits in a
sleigh A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners s ...
harnessed with the black donkey. Zhirinovsky begins to speak, claiming that the "little wretched donkey is the symbol of
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
" and that if he, Zhirinovsky, would become the
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
, a "daring
troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Pol ...
" 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 dacha ( rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ') or shack serving as a family's main or only home, or an outbu ...
. A
voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
concludes the video: "Zhirinovsky – it will get better!" The video was widely discussed on the Internet.''Zhirinovsky Explains why He Swatted Ass''
RIAN RIA Novosti (russian: РИА Новости), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (russian: РИА, label=none) is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013 by a decree of Vladimir Putin it was liquidated and its asset ...
7 February 2012 It received mostly negative reactions from Russian users. 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.


Symbolism

Zhirinovsky explained the meaning of his video on television, saying: "I’d like to explain that many of our citizens are suffering about the past greatness of
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, i.e., the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. Today, there is no greatness. And with this clip in 30 seconds I wanted to show that today it is not the famous
troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Pol ...
that ncegalloped ..Today it is a donkey. That is the thing. Today they smacked down our country, economy, culture, and the Russian language ..We don’t want this weak animal to be the symbol of Russia." Zhirinovsky referred to an explanation of the origin of troika in a televised election debate with
Natalya Narochnitskaya Nataliya Alekseevna Narotchnitskaya (russian: Наталия Алексеевна Нарочницкая) (born 23 December 1948) is a Russian politician, historian and political commentator. Between 1982 and 1989 Narochnitskaya worked at the Sec ...
. The Troika has become a cultural icon of Russia, especially after it was featured in a scene of
Nikolay Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
's novel '' Dead Souls'', where a "troika-bird" rides through the vast expanses of Russia.Translation taken from the
Dead Souls
by Nikolai Gogol. Gutenberg.org Narochnitskaya accused Zhirinovsky of disdain towards the people of Russia, as well as projecting
pessimism Pessimism is a negative mental attitude in which an undesirable outcome is anticipated from a given situation. Pessimists tend to focus on the negatives of life in general. A common question asked to test for pessimism is " Is the glass half emp ...
and aggression through this video. Zhirinovsky replied that the video is an allegory of what the rulers of Russia had made with the country in the last hundred years.


Naming of the donkey

Zhirinovsky stated during a televised election debate with
Gennady Zyuganov Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov (russian: Генна́дий Андре́евич Зюга́нов; born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician, who has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and served as M ...
, another presidential candidate, that the animal seen in the video is called Proshka. Proshka is the diminutive form of the
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and Slavic name
Prokhor Prokhor (Прохор) is a Russian name from the Latinised form Prochorus that originated from the Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek langu ...
; Zhirinovsky stated that the animal is named after Russian presidential candidate,
Mikhail Prokhorov Mikhail Dmitrievich Prokhorov ( rus, Михаил Дмитриевич Прохоров, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈproxərəf; born 3 May 1965) is a Russian-Israeli oligarch, politician, and former owner of the Brooklyn Nets. I ...
. 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. 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.


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 A dacha ( rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ') or shack serving as a family's main or only home, or an outbu ...
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". International organizations
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; , stylized as PeTA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities hav ...
(PETA) and World Society for the Protection of Animals (Now known as
World Animal Protection World Animal Protection, formerly The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is an international non-profit animal rights organization that has been in operation since 1981. The charity describes its vision as: A world where animal ...
), 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 The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
, and that in fact, the animal has been treated "better than many people". The
Central Electoral Commission of Russia The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation (russian: Центральная избирательная комиссия Российской Федерации, abbr. ЦИК, also Центризбирком) is the superior po ...
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.


References


External links


Zhirinovsky's donkey video on the official site

Zhirinovsky's donkey video on Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhirinovsky donkey video donkey video Animals in politics Cruelty to animals Individual donkeys Liberal Democratic Party of Russia National personifications Russian humour Political controversies in Russia