Episode Summary

The perception of the contemporary Russian state begins with the fundamental misconception that the Russian Empire has ceased to exist. In fact, it is fully thriving today, simply under a new name - the Russian Federation. The Soviet Union was considered a state of equality and fraternity. The Russian Federation is a democratic country. But it has always been an empire that steals the history and culture of its colonies. 

Why don't people in the West still identify this large, powerful country as a so-called superior nation that conquered and committed genocide on thousands of people, as other empires in Europe did? Moreover, the Russian Federation/Empire is still doing this today against Ukrainians. How and who created this myth of a great empire, and was Ukraine ever a colony? 

The guest of today's episode is Mykola Riabchuk, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He will tell us how Russia has become the state it is today.

Learn More

• Who created the label about Great Patriotic War


• Russian Propaganda in Africa: Background and Consequences

Further Reading

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Literature, recommended by Mykola Riabchuk:

https://www.cidob.org/en/publications/publication_series/notes_internacionals/288/war_in_ukraine_peace_talking_versus_peace_making

https://lisd.princeton.edu/publications/rallying-around-flag-war-challenges-and-civic-mobilization-ukraine

https://en.desk-russie.eu/2023/05/27/the-toxic-spell-of-imperial-knowledge.html

https://www.raamoprusland.nl/auteurs/20-mykola-riabchuk

Ewa Thоmpsоn: https://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Knowledge-Literature-Colonialism-Contributions/dp/0313313113

Serhii Phohii: https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/Serhii-Plokhy/dp/0241633524 https://www.amazon.com.be/-/en/Plokhy-Serhii/dp/0141980613

Timothy Snyder: https://snyder.substack.com/

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