Read Umberto Eco's seminal essay [1], it contains 14 characteristics of fascism. They are what you'd call soft criteria, which make sense because fascism has al

Read Umberto Eco's seminal essay [1], it contains 14 characteristics of fascism. They are what you'd call soft criteria, which make sense because fascism has always been ideologically and theoretically weak. It's explained in the essay. If you check Putin's regime and public statements by government officials against these points, you will find that all 14 characteristics are matched quite well. The only difference is that Putin did not have to found a movement to seize power, but you can see the corresponding elements in Kremlin-supported pro-Russian groups and parties outside of Russia. [1] https://sites.evergreen.edu/politicalshakespeares/wp-content/uploads/sites/226/2015/12/Eco-urfascism.pdf https://sites.evergreen.edu/politicalshakespeares/wp-content...