The book explores transformations of the apocalyptic figure of the Antichrist in various post-Soviet discourses, including ecclesiastical and political writings, conspiracy theories, and literary texts. Drawing on the extensive research into diverse materials published in the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it demonstrates how an initially religious idea has penetrated secular discourses and what implications this entails. By applying the innovative analytical category of ideomyth, the book successfully answers the question of how and why the figure of the Antichrist is employed within the Russian post-Soviet semiosphere, with a special focus on texts that emerged within nationalist and religious milieus.

Magda Dolinska-Rydzek completed her PhD at the Institute of Slavic Studies at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen. She holds an MA in International Relations: European Studies and a BA in International Relations: Eastern European Studies. She has published widely on themes related to eschatology and apocalypticism in post-Soviet Russia, which are her main research interests, and also translates Russian contemporary literature into Polish.