Co-optation for authoritarian regime stability in post-war Russia: new mapping approach

Co-optation plays a crucial role in sustaining authoritarian resilience, particularly during the periods of political vulnerability. This article explores how the Russian state has used co-optation alongside repression and legitimation to maintain regime stability following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While repression has been widely studied, the co-optation of civil society remains underexplored. Using a novel mapping approach, this study analyses 41 environmental NGOs that engaged in a public discussion on the national level in 2023. The findings reveal three key dynamics. First, direct co-optation has intensified through the creation of government-organized NGOs that promote legitimation narratives. Second, the rise of repression has also increased the effectiveness of indirect co-optation. Third, private and public enterprises mirror state strategies of co-optation by establishing and influencing NGOs. Together, these dynamics construct a system of “managed pluralism” on the national level in Russia, which contains civic engagement within regime-set boundaries and reduces the risk of coordinated oppositional mobilization in the long term. The article contributes to the research on authoritarian resilience, civil society, and Russian politics by presenting a new framework for analysing co-optation and illustrating how authoritarian regimes employ a combination of repression, co-optation, and legitimation in response to crises.