Last month, a popular Iraqi social-media channel associated with the country’s powerful network of Tehran-backed Shiite militias released a new song cheering the Wagner Group, the private army that aids Moscow in its various military ventures. The song’s lyrics, Amir al-Kaabi writes, emphasize the extent to which the muqawama—a term literally meaning “resistance” adopted by the militias, Hizballah, and other Iranian proxies—feels a sense of kinship with Russia:
The song . . . glorifies the Russian group for its operations in Syria and Ukraine. The song also was worded as if the group is an extended part of the Shiite community. Muqawama social media . . . described the commander of the Wagner group as Hajji Yevgeny; hajji is an adjective for those in a senior position and have completed the Hajj, or pilgrimage [to Mecca].
Muqawama social-media accounts have the habit of describing Russia as “Great Russia” (Rusia al-Udhma) For example, Tura News, a muqawama Telegram channel, describes the Russian ministry of defense as the “ministry of defense of Great Russia.” At the same time, it described the president of Ukraine as “the Jewish president” in an effort to degrade him in the eyes of Iraqi viewers.
The muqawama is still fascinated by the personality of Putin as they try to portray him as a strong man. They even use a nickname [with religious connotations] for him (Abu Ali) to make him more appealing to the Shiite public.
Read more on Washington Institute for Near East Policy: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/muqawama-russia-love-affair-april-2023-update