Laughing at the President: Media Satire and Humour from Yeltsin to Putin

Explores Russian political satire in television, the internet and social media to charts the evolution of Russia’s culture and media as well as the evolution of its political culture, from Yeltsin to the start of the war in Ukraine. As populism and authoritarianism gain traction in the democratic West and mass media propaganda is increasingly weaponized, Russia offers a striking example of a nation that moved from authoritarianism to democracy, and then back. This book explores the evolving role of political satire on Russian television, internet and social media networks, revealing how humor and dissent interact under illiberal rule. Far from mere entertainment, satire shapes political discourse and thrives in moments of political polarization, flourishing in Russia’s turbulent 1990s and resurging during the protests of 2011–12, when cracks appeared in Putin’s carefully managed façade. But in times of unified political messaging and societal stability, satire fades, shifting into comedy, sceptical irony, or pure political commentary, seeking new targets in a landscape where the president remains a carefully crafted ‘compromise figure.’In combining political analysis with media studies, Alina Fedorova demonstrates how frameworks developed for Western 'infotainment' can be applied to authoritarian contexts, offering fresh insights into satire’s influence beyond democratic boundaries.