'That's with Napoleon, right?' Russian ultra-nationalists stumble over basic history questions from test for migrants
In the past few years, the ultra-nationalist group Russian Community has become one of Russia's most influential and well-connected far-right movements — though evidently not thanks to its members' intellect. A new video from Yekaterinburg outlet 66.ru shows journalists quizzing the anti-migrant group’s local leader on basic Russian history questions — the same ones asked of migrants applying for temporary residency. He doesn't exactly pass with flying colors.
The news site 66.ru recently posted a video featuring Igor Chernoskutov, head of the far-right Russian Community’s Yekaterinburg branch, along with one of his associates. In the clip, a reporter quizzes the activists with questions taken from the history test required for migrants applying for temporary residency in Russia.
First question: “In what century were the Russian lands united around Moscow?”
Chernoskutov immediately appears sheepish. “The test has started, right?” he asks. After being told yes, he says, “Okay, I’ll give you the answer," before staring off in thought for a few beats.
“The 10th or 11th century, I think,” he finally replies.
(Correct answer: the 14th century.)
Next question: "In what years did World War I take place?"
“That’s with Napoleon, right?” Chernoskutov answers. “1912. Is that the one you mean?”
(Correct answer: 1914–1918 — about a century after Napoleon's death.)
Chernoskutov does get the final question right, identifying 1905 as the year of the First Russian Revolution. He then tries to defend himself and his associate:
We know all these questions, actually, but I’ll tell you one more time — we’re not perfect people. You’ve shown us that we have, yes, certain gaps in our knowledge, so we’ll study history even more deeply in the future.
