Marlene Laruelle's article in Russia in Global Affairs (Laruelle, 2020) addresses current political debate on Russia's role in the world political system. However, it is of much greater interest not to argue whether modern Russia can be called "fascist" or if such a discussion can take place at all (in fact, it most certainly can, for it is already in progress: invectives of this sort are voiced both inside and outside Russia), but to talk about the theoretical—or pseudo-theoretical—basis of such debates.