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‘A kind of James Bond figure’. Three years after Zhirinovsky’s death, successor Leonid Slutsky pushes to rebrand the ultra-nationalist LDPR as Russia’s ‘party of diplomacy’
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For 30 years, the deceptively named Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) was defined by its larger-than-life founder, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. A bombastic ultranationalist, Zhirinovsky openly espoused expansionist views and demonized the West long before this became the norm in Russian politics. Now, three years after his death, Zhirinovsky’s successor, Leonid Slutsky, wants to forge a new image for the LDPR as the “party of diplomacy,” informed sources told Meduza. In theory, the initiative could both help the Russian government work more closely with right-wing parties abroad and increase the LDPR’s popularity in Russia. Meduza special correspondent Andrey Pertsev explains what we know about the proposal.
The Kremlin is considering rebranding the far-right Liberal Democratic Party of Russia as the country’s “party of diplomacy.” The proposal came from LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky, who also chairs the State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee. If accepted by Sergey Kiriyenko, the head of the Putin administration’s political team, the LDPR could take on a new role: building ties with far-right political forces abroad or with pro-Russian parties in former Soviet republics.
The idea follows Kiriyenko’s recent oversight of an election in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia on behalf of the Kremlin. His purview has since expanded to include monitoring developments in South Ossetia, Armenia, and several African countries, including Chad, Mali, and the Central African Republic. According to sources in the LDPR, the Kremlin, and a political consultant working with the presidential administration, Slutsky is eager to get more “involved in this stuff.”
One LDPR insider confirmed that the Putin administration’s political team is seriously considering the LDPR as a vehicle for the Kremlin's foreign policy work.
Big shoes to fill
“For some political forces [abroad], it’s easier to work through the LDPR than with United Russia,” the source explained. “United Russia is the ruling party — dealing with it essentially means dealing with the Russian state. Not all [foreign parties], even those that are friendly towards Russia, are willing to risk that kind of association. The LDPR, on the other hand, is officially part of the systemic opposition. There are also parties abroad that are considered fringe in their own countries, even if they have a sizable following. United Russia is unlikely to work with them either. But the LDPR? No problem.”
The source also noted that Slutsky already has experience coordinating visits by pro-Russian politicians from abroad. “This kind of arrangement has been tried before — just not so widely,” he said.
A Kremlin source told Meduza that the Putin administration’s political bloc has indeed begun discussing assigning the LDPR a diplomatic function but that so far, the initiative is being driven entirely by Slutsky and his allies. According to this source, the new role could help the party rebrand itself for voters:
They [the LDPR’s leadership] are trying to figure out how to position themselves — what’s supposed to make the party appealing. For now, they’re still riding on the long-time legacy of [the late LDPR leader and ultranationalist firebrand Vladimir] Zhirinovsky. But once that fades, they’ll have to answer the question,“Why should I vote for you?” Just saying they’re the “second-choice party”" won’t cut it. But this — being a “party of diplomacy” — that’s something.
For now, the Kremlin’s political strategists don’t appear to have a clear idea of what this diplomatic role would entail. “Obviously, people like Kiriyenko or [Alexander] Kharichev [head of the Kremlin's sociology department] aren’t going to be flying to Armenia or Africa themselves,” one source said. “That work will fall to political consultants operating behind the scenes. Maybe Slutsky will show up for a few public meetings — create a formal point of contact. That’s possible.”
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Still, not everyone in the LDPR is convinced the plan will go anywhere.
“For several years, there was talk among party leaders and political consultants of turning Slutsky into some kind of James Bond figure — a high-status, tight-lipped fixer-diplomat,” said one party insider. “The plan was to use his low public profile to their advantage. The narrative would be: He’s always on a critical mission, can’t reveal details, saving Russia every day on an invisible front. For some reason, his inner circle thought he came across as extra important, especially when he stayed silent. But the idea didn’t take off at the time. Maybe they’ll try it now.”
According to this source, the Kremlin may now tap Slutsky to manage outreach to “the same marginal political figures he’s previously invited to observe Russian elections.”
A political strategist working with Putin administration said he thinks its political team could use a “money man for projects in foreign countries”— and that’s where Slutsky could help out. In return, the party leader would be allowed to “make appearances on foreign trips.”
“They won’t give him much room, though,” the consultant added. “If Kiriyenko is personally overseeing an area, then Slutsky can't be there, it's not his turf. Even in a minor role, they’ll have to be cautious. He’s prone to messing things up — and he often does.”
One LDPR member critical of Slutsky predicted that even if the party does take on a diplomatic role, it won’t translate into electoral gains or elevate them to “second party” status. “It’ll probably be like when the Kremlin promised Slutsky second place in the 2024 presidential election,” the source said. “His numbers weren’t bad before the campaign. But then he went public — and everything fell apart. He’s just not a politician. That’s all there is to it.”
Keeping up Zhirik's legacy
Reporting by Andrey Pertsev
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