A/HRC/4/19/Add.3 page 24 73. This ideological void has been filled by a rise of nationalism which, in a context of deep social and economic crisis, has created a fertile ground for the emergence of both ultranationalist groups, including neo-Nazi groups, which increasingly use physical violence, and of political parties that use racist and xenophobic platforms to instrumentalize the fears of Russian society. The instrumentalization of racism and xenophobia for political aims through the expression of a political discourse structured around the “defence of the national security” and “the protection of the national identity”, translated in the growing association between foreigners in general and ethnic and religious minorities in particular with criminalization, often supported by the media through the perpetuation of negative stereotypes, constitutes one of the major threats to the democratic process in Russia today. 74. The racist and xenophobic trend equally reflects the profound identity crisis of the Russian society, resulting from the contradiction and the tension between the new ideology of nationalism and the new process of multiculturalism which is structuring it. The dominant ideology and discourse of political nationalism articulated by the authorities for the protection and the cohesion of the Russian society against inner and outer “threats” is given an ethnic, racial and religious content by nationalist political parties and extreme right groups. The identity tension generated by the process of multiculturalization is both the reflection of the deep historic and cultural roots of the Slavic nationalism and the result of the instrumentalization of the “defence of the national identity” to mask the deep causes of the social and economic marginalization of a growing part of the society. This dominant ideology, amplified by the media, nourishes a culture and mentality of racism and xenophobia, articulated around the figure of the foreigner, the migrant worker and the ethnic, cultural or religious minority as being responsible for the crisis. 75. While efforts have been made to reinforce legislation, particularly the Criminal Code, the Special Rapporteur noted that such efforts have not sufficiently addressed non-violent forms of discrimination, in particular in the fields of housing, education, health care and access to justice, as reflected by the non-explicit prohibition of racial discrimination in most laws concerning economic, social and cultural rights. 76. Despite recent statements by State officials acknowledging the existence of certain forms of discrimination and the need to combat them, a number of legislative texts, State policies and administrative measures particularly affecting ethnic minorities, foreigners and related to immigration, reflect the existence of institutionalized discrimination. This is illustrated by the insurmountable obstacles faced in particular by a large number of citizens of the former Soviet Union who, despite having lived long or permanently in Russia, are considered as illegal migrants since the entry into force of the Federal Laws on Citizenship and on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens and face denial of recognition of citizenship and residence registration. Despite having been declared unconstitutional by Russian courts, the absence of residence registration continues to be used as a discriminatory element against members of certain communities, including people from Caucasus and Central Asia, Roma, Meskhetians and other ethnic groups in Krasnodar Krai. Furthermore, these communities suffer from aggravated discrimination deriving from policies and measures mainly inspired by a security approach, which associate them with terrorism and criminality and result in practices of racial profiling, mainly racially targeted inspections and unlawful practices by law enforcement officials.