Male State
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=ru|otherarticle=Мужское государство|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Male State
| native_name = Мужское государство
| native_name_lang = ru
| logo = Logo of the Male State.svg
| colorcode = {{Party color|Male State}}
| abbreviation = MG
| leader = {{Interlanguage link|Vladislav Pozdnjakov|eo|lt=Vladislav Pozdnyakov}}
| founded = {{Start date|2016|10||df=yes}}
| banned = {{End date|2021|10|18|df=yes}}
| headquarters = Moscow, Russia
| ideology = {{ubli|National patriarchy|Russian ultranationalism|Antifeminism|Homophobia|Anti-immigration|White nationalism|Antisemitism}}
| position = Far-right
| colours = {{ubli|{{color box|{{Party color|Male State}}|border=darkgray}} Black|{{color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} White}}
| anthem =
| flag = 200px
| website =
| country = Russia
}}
Male State (MG; {{langx|ru|Мужское государство|Muzhskoye gosudarstvo}}) is an unofficial Russian men's movement that advocates patriarchy and Russian nationalism.{{Cite news|first=Natalya |last=Zotova |date=2018-09-07|script-title=ru:Как осведомитель ФСБ помог создать "Мужское государство"|work=BBC News Русская служба|url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-45426762|access-date=2021-02-23|language=ru}}{{Cite web|date=2019-07-12|script-title=ru:Мужское государство: Чем известно движение "за права мужчин"|url=https://www.wonderzine.com/wonderzine/life/life/244569-men-s-rights|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Wonderzine|language=ru}}{{Cite web|last=Алексей Иванов|date=2018-10-24|script-title=ru:Как "Мужское государство" учило хлюпиков Родину и баб не любить|url=https://www.kp.ru/daily/26898/3943201/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=kp.ru|language=ru}}{{Cite web|date=2017-08-25|script-title=ru:"Пусть сидит дома и стирает портки": о чем говорят в мужских пабликах|url=https://ria.ru/20170825/1501027605.html|access-date=2021-02-23|website=RIA Novosti |language=ru}} The group's activities focus on online harassment: community members insult, bully and threaten women, black people,{{Cite web|date=2021-07-21|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/07/21/drowned-nigerian-students-russian-wife-says-faces-racist-online-attacks-a74573|title=Drowned Nigerian Student's Russian Wife Says Faces Racist Online Attacks}} people in interracial relationships, and LGBT people.{{Cite web|last=Ольга Кузнецова|date=2020-07-08|script-title=ru:"Сначала был шок, а потом страх": как "Мужское государство" выбирает жертв|url=https://sobesednik.ru/obshchestvo/20200706-ishite-zhenshinu-i-travite-ee|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Sobesednik|language=ru}}{{Cite news|first=Karina |last=Merkur'evka |date=2021-02-21|script-title=ru:"Мы придем за тобой". Как "Мужское государство" травит активисток|url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/31113292.html|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Radio Svoboda |language=ru}}{{Cite news|first=Sergei |last=Khazov-Kassia |date=2020-06-06|script-title=ru:Патриархальный провокатор. "Мужское государство" и его король|url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/30654316.html|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Radio Svoboda |language=ru}}
The group was created by {{Interlanguage link|Vladislav Pozdnjakov|eo|lt=Vladislav Pozdnyakov}} in 2016 as a private community on the social network VKontakte. In 2020, the "Male State" community was blocked by VKontakte for "incitement to violent action".{{Cite web|date=2020-07-01|script-title=ru:Паблик "Мужское государство" заблокировали за "призывы к насильственным действиям"|url=https://meduza.io/news/2020/07/01/pablik-muzhskoe-gosudarstvo-zablokirovali-za-prizyvy-k-nasilstvennym-deystviyam|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Meduza|language=ru}} In 2021, a Russian court banned the group as extremist, stating that it incited hatred against women.{{Cite news|date=2021-10-19|title=Male State: Russia bans group for anti-women and anti-gay posts|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58966476|access-date=2021-10-19}}
Activities
The group advocates patriarchy, Russian nationalism and radical information warfare against the current government (Male State claims that Russia's current leaders are too pro-women). The group's activities are concentrated mainly on the Internet: members locate people (usually women) who express feminist or gay-friendly views on social media and target them with insults and threats of beatings or murder. The group has also held periodic in-person meetings, during which members learned hand-to-hand combat and pneumatic weapons use.{{Cite web|first=Ignat |last=Shestakov |date=2018-10-19|script-title=ru:Впавшие в девство: женоненавистники выходят из интернета в мир|url=https://iz.ru/801231/ignat-orbeliani/vpavshie-v-devstvo-zhenonenavistniki-vykhodiat-iz-interneta-v-mir|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Izvestiya |language=ru}} Some members have identified the LDPR as their political partner.
History
"Male State" began as a private community on the Russian social media network VKontakte. It was created in 2016 by the Russian bodybuilder Vladislav Pozdnyakov and maintained strict membership rules.{{Cite news|date=August 28, 2021|title=Bullies proclaiming 'national patriarchy' harass Russian feminists|url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/08/28/bullies-proclaiming-national-patriarchy-harass-russian-feminists|newspaper=The Economist}}
In December 2018, Pozdnyakov was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence under Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for "actions aimed at humiliating human dignity in relation to women".{{Cite web|language=ru|url=https://zona.media/news/2018/12/21/pozdnyakov|script-title=ru:Создателя "Мужского государства" Позднякова приговорили к двум годам лишения свободы условно|website=Mediazona |publisher=2018-01-18|accessdate=2021-02-23}} A year later, the sentence was overturned.{{Cite web|date=2019-04-22|script-title=ru:Суд отменил приговор создателю сообщества "Мужское государство" в соцсети|url=https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5c9438a99a7947bba246cd84|access-date=2021-02-23|website=RBK |language=ru}}{{Cite web|date=2019-04-22|script-title=ru:Суд отменил приговор создателю паблика "Мужское государство" по делу о возбуждении ненависти к женщинам|url=https://meduza.io/news/2019/03/21/sud-otmenil-prigovor-sozdatelyu-pablika-muzhskoe-gosudarstvo-on-byl-osuzhden-na-dva-goda-uslovno-za-vozbuzhdenie-nenavisti-k-zhenschinam|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Meduza|language=ru}}
In 2019, four members of the "Male State" from Khabarovsk, detained in 2017, were convicted of extremist activities.
In 2020, the "Male State" community was blocked by the VKontakte administration for "incitement to violent action".{{Cite web|date=2020-07-01|script-title=ru:"Мужское государство" заблокировали за призывы к насилию. Паблик обещал "морально уничтожить" россиянок за порноклип солиста Rammstein|url=https://www.fontanka.ru/2020/07/01/69344416/|access-date=2021-02-23|website=Fontanka|language=ru}} By the time of blocking, the group consisted of over 150 thousand users. After the blocking of the "Male State" and two more of his communities on VKontakte, Pozdnyakov began to actively maintain his channel on Telegram, a messaging service, and has garnered more than 80 thousand subscribers.
In July 2021, Pozdnikov was accused of leading a hate campaign against the Russian wife of a Nigerian student who had drowned while rescuing a swimmer in western Russia's Kaliningrad region.
File:Мужское государство 1.jpg
In August 2021, Yobidoyobi co-founder Konstantin Zimen said he and his business received a barrage of threats and abuse after Vladislav Pozdnyakov shared a Yobidoyobi ad featuring a black man on his social media pages and called for action to be taken. The company took down the ad and apologized.{{Cite web|date=2021-08-31|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/08/30/russian-sushi-chain-apologizes-for-ad-featuring-black-man-a74923|title=Russian Sushi Chain Apologizes for Ad Featuring Black Man|work=The Moscow Times}}
On 18 October 2021, the Nizhny Novgorod regional court declared the organization extremist, thus banning its activities in Russia.{{cite web|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/10/18/russia-outlaws-male-state-hate-group-as-extremist-a75329|title=Russia Outlaws Anti-Women 'Male State' Group as 'Extremist'|website=The Moscow Times|date=18 October 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rbc.ru/society/18/10/2021/616d73739a7947f9a54f55f0|script-title=ru:"Мужское государство" признали экстремистским и запретили в России|website=RBC|date=18 October 2021}}
On 4 August 2022, Male State and sympathizers targeted Dedaena Bar in Tbilisi because pro-Putin Russians are banned, posting thousands of negative reviews and hacking their website.{{cite news |title=Russian Extremists Target A Bar In Tbilisi Where Patrons Have To Denounce Putin |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-russian-extremists-target-bar/31980709.html |access-date=10 August 2022 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}
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