Antisemitic conspiracy theory invoking the medieval Khazars
This article is about the conspiracy theory. For the medieval polity, seeKhazars.
TheKhazarian Mafia is an antisemiticconspiracy theory alleging that a clandestine cabal of "fake" Jews - supposedly descended from the medievalKhazars -controls global finance, media, and politics.[1] The phrase has circulated widely on fringe media and social platforms since the 2010s–2020s and was further weaponized during the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine to malign Ukrainians and Jews and to rationalize Russian aggression.[1][2] Researchers identify the narrative as a rebranding of older antisemitic tropes (including theblood libel) coupled to a modern misuse of the contested and largely rejected "Khazar hypothesis of Ashkenazi ancestry".[3][4][5]
The label "Khazarian Mafia" borrows from the historical Khazar Khaganate (7th–10th centuries), whose elites are described in some medieval sources as having adopted Judaism; however, modern scholarship disputes the scope and historicity of any mass conversion and rejects claims that most Ashkenazi Jews descend from Khazars.[6][7][8] The contemporary conspiracy theory crystallized on fringe outlets and blogs; for example,Veterans Today has repeatedly published articles describing a trans-historical "Khazarian Mafia."
Analysts summarize that proponents assert (1) modern Jews—especiallyAshkenazi Jews—are not "real" Jews but "Khazars" who secretly control world events; (2) a hidden "mafia" manipulates wars, pandemics, and economies; and (3) Ukraine is a "Khazarian" project or state, claims that researchers classify as antisemitic and baseless.[1][6] Media watchdogs have documented repeated promotion of the phrase on large online communities and platforms.[9][10]
From early 2022, researchers tracked the "Khazarian Mafia" trope on Telegram and other platforms as part of pro-Kremlin propaganda framing, casting Ukraine as a "Khazarian" project and using the rhetoric to justify or sanitize Russia's war.[1][2] Regional and European fact-checkers have debunked claims that PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy intends to create a "Khazarian Jewish state" in Ukraine and western Russia[11]and have contextualized such narratives as antisemitic conspiracism.[12][13][14]
Peer-reviewed population-genetic studies do not support a Khazar origin for Ashkenazi Jews, instead indicating ancestry primarily from Middle Eastern and European populations with medieval admixture in Europe.[5][15][16] Historians likewise question the evidentiary basis for any mass Khazar conversion to Judaism and regard the popular narrative as an overextended reading of sparse sources.[7][17][18]
Think tanks and anti-hate organizations describe "Khazarian Mafia" as a modern packaging of classic antisemitic canards, often bundled with tropes about "globalists," the "Rothschilds," and ritual evil.[1][19][3] Media monitors have cataloged the phrase's use on high-traffic forums such as Reddit's r/conspiracy, where posts have promoted the "Khazarian mafia" conspiracy theory.[9]
Fringe platforms and personalities have provided recurring venues for the narrative, including articles and interviews claiming a trans-historical "Khazarian Mafia" controls governments and wars, which circulate widely in conspiracist ecosystems.[10]
^abBehar, Doron M. (December 2013), "No evidence from genome-wide data of a Khazar origin for the Ashkenazi Jews",Human Biology,85 (6), Detroit:859–900,doi:10.3378/027.085.0604,PMID25079123
^ab"Khazars".#TranslateHate. American Jewish Committee. 30 March 2021. Retrieved25 August 2025.
^Feldman, Alex M. (2022).The Monotheisation of Pontic-Caspian Eurasia: From the Eighth to the Thirteenth Century. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 49, 56, 81.
