On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To legitimize its aggression, the Kremlin refers to history and ‘historical rights’. The seminar provides a critical reflection on the role of the so-called ‘historical truth’ for Russia’s internal and external politics. It explains the meaning of the main historical narratives – ‘Russia’s historical lands’, ‘historical unity between Russians and Ukrainians’, ‘the Great Patriotic War’, ‘the myth of a royal gift (Crimea)’ – and how these narratives are employed in the ongoing war against Ukraine. In addition, the lecture provides an analyses of Russia’s memorial legislation (‘memory’ laws) as a tool of memory policies. The Institute of International Relations would like to cordially invite you to the seminar titled ‘History as a Weapon: Russia’s Memory Policy and Russia’s War Against Ukraine’ with Dr Alina Cherviatsova.
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