On TikTok, Russia's Political Parties Court Voters Who Grew Up Under Putin
Party youth wings are appealing to younger voters with memes and anti-establishment rhetoric — while strictly staying within the Kremlin’s political boundaries.
Russia's political parties are targeting young voters who grew up under Putin's rule, according to a surge in social media activity from youth wings affiliated with major parties ahead of upcoming State Duma elections. The 18-35 age group makes up roughly a quarter of eligible voters in Russia, and many young Russians show greater support for peace talks with Ukraine and opposition politics compared to older generations.
One example is Alexander Berkutov, a teenager from Ochyor in the Perm region who has amassed over 8,000 followers on TikTok as a youth leader for Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR). Berkutov imitates Zhirinovsky's bombastic delivery in his videos, which often criticize corruption and everyday problems, appealing to younger viewers through memes, slang, and anti-establishment rhetoric. His most viewed video, criticizing United Russia over rising taxes, has garnered nearly 1 million views.
Another LDPR-affiliated TikTok user, Leonid Spirin, editor-in-chief of independent student media outlet Groza, praises Zhirinovsky's charismatic leadership and derides other politicians as "boring technocrats." The Communist Party, which accepts children as young as nine into its Young Pioneers program, has also ramped up its online presence. Its youth wing, Komsomol Moskvy, uses memes and references to popular video games to appeal to young viewers, while still advocating for political change within the Kremlin's limits.
Both the LDPR and Komsomol Moskvy emphasize that political change can only come through permitted methods by the Kremlin, while criticizing protest movements outside the tightly-controlled political system. Young Communist Party activists also speak out against Russian opposition figures living in exile and support the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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