“Namedni” (Recently), Leonid Parfenov’s project dedicated to recent history, was one of the most successful shows of the 1990s. Eschewing big narrative arcs, the program highlighted the past as a collection of memory sites—in this case, exploring the origins of the “New Russian” in 1991.

Ahead of the 1995 Duma elections, the Democratic Choice of Russia—United Democrats party released a promotional poster depicting a stream of people entering a giant pack of Belomor Canal cigarettes.

Two early direct actions organized by young members of the National Bolshevik Party combined self-martyrdom with totalitarian stiob.