Reflection of the preconditions and causes of interethnic conflicts in the territory of the former USSR in the opposition press during the perestroika period (1989–1991)

The authors, based on the journalistic discourse from the concluding period of perestroika, endeavor to analyze the perspectives and approaches of representatives of official government authorities as well as the emerging and increasingly influential opposition press regarding the exacerbated interethnic relations and the pathways to resolving interethnic conflicts that arose in the late 1980s. The study examines the opinions of representatives from opposition media concerning the causes of interethnic conflicts in the territory of the former USSR during the perestroika years, categorizing these approaches into major groups. The authors substantiate, through extensive material, that the primary source of nationalist sentiments in the USSR during 1989-1990 was the Baltic republics, where nationalists effectively managed to subordinate state structures, initiate processes of state independence formation, and disseminate nationalist propaganda with impunity. A significantly more constructive position regarding the issue of interethnic relations was adopted by the moderate liberal opposition press, which, while critically addressing the errors of Soviet leadership in national policy, nonetheless supported the reforms being implemented in the country and advocated for the preservation and renewal of the USSR. An anti-perestroika opposition emerged, whose representatives sharply criticized the national policy of the Soviet leadership, perceiving it as a deviation from Marxist-Leninist theory. Concurrently, in the RSFSR during 1987-1989, an independent opposition press, often manifesting in the form of samizdat, was formed and strengthened, reflecting viewpoints on the policies of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and the state concerning interethnic relations that starkly contrasted with official narratives.