Gopnik

Gopnik is most likely derived from the Russian slang term for a street robbery: gop-stop (Russian: гоп-стоп).[6]

However, it could also be related to GOP, the acronym for the Gorodskoye Obshchestvo Prizreniya. These were almshouses for the destitute created by the Bolshevik government after the October Revolution in 1917. According to Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary, a Russian explanatory dictionary (first published in the 19th century), an old slang word for "sleeping on street" was "гопать" (literally, "to gop") something that was related to the "mazuricks", or the criminals of Saint Petersburg.[6]

A Gopnik squatting

Gopniks are often seen squatting in groups "in court" (на корта́х) or "doing the crab" (на крабе) outside blocks of flats or schools with their heels on the ground.[7][8] It is described as a learned behavior attributed to Russian prison culture to avoid sitting on the cold ground.[8]

Gopniks are often seen wearing Adidas or Puma tracksuits (mostly Adidas), which were popularised by the 1980 Moscow Olympics Soviet team.[9] Sunflower seeds (colloquially semki (семки) or semechki (семечки)) are habitually eaten by gopniks, especially in Ukraine and Russia. Gopniks can also be seen wearing flat caps and Adidas backpacks.

Gopniks are often associated with cheap alcohol, such as low-quality vodka and light beer, cheap cigarettes, low-end mobile devices, and sometimes firearms. They also utilize common Russian profanities and often behave rudely. Gopniks often drive Lada Classics or older BMWs as their primary means of transport.

The subculture is stereotypically associated with Russian chanson Stalkers specifically since the mid-2007s, as the stalker games were released.

Gopniks commonly have Russian nationalism or Pan-Slavism as their primary political views[10], though there are also leftist or even far-right gopnik communities. Gopniks typically hold strong anti-Western views.[3]