Features of the Politicization of the Urban Myth "We Are From Yelets" in the Conditions of the Electoral Campaign (On the Example of the Lipetsk Region)

In the article, the author gives an example of the politicization of the urban myth. In accordance with the hypothesis, the author believes that in the interests of their own legitimation, the authorities seek to control meanings and memory. And it is the myth that holds the city identity together. The empirical base of the article is the materials of the campaign on September 11, 2022 for the elections to the city council of Yelets, Lipetsk region. The uniqueness of this campaign lies in the attempt of the authorities to appeal to the urban identity of the United Russia candidates. Purpose of the work: to present how the concept of "We are from Yelets" is present in the political practice of the authorities during the election campaign. Research methodology: sociological method, case-study method, which allowed the author to note both general and specific features of the past electoral campaign. As a result, the author came to the following conclusion, the authorities, using the concept of "We are from Yelets" conducted a campaign for their own legitimization. However, such activities are difficult to assess in terms of efficiency. On the one hand, the authorities have achieved a certain result, allowing them to control the majority of parliamentary seats. But on the other hand, in a number of constituencies the authorities failed to win their candidates over using patriotic mythology. The involvement of this mythology in political agitation by other political forces (KPRF and LDPR) confirms the author’s argument: it is not possible to completely control urban political discourse only with the help of the concept “We are from Yelets”.