Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20901/pm.61.4.02
The shadow of the bear: Russian historical myths in the context of Russia’s imperial policy towards Ukraine
Hrvoje Cvijanović
orcid.org/0000-0003-0742-0844
; Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb
*
Kateryna Shymkevych
; Department of Law and Public Management, Zaporizhzhia Institute of Economics and Information Technologies
*
Andrii Omelchenko
; Faculty of History and International Relations, Zaporizhzhia National University
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The article explores Russian historical myths used to justify the aggression against Ukraine. Three main myths are discussed: Russia as the successor of Kyivan Rus, Moscow as the Third Rome, and the myth about Russian historical territories. Putin and the Russian propagandists use these myths to deploy narratives about Crimea, Novorossiya, Kyivan Rus, and to reinterpret Russian history to fit contemporary Russian imperial renaissance. As such, these myths nowadays became part of the Russian World (Русский мир), i.e. Russia’s political project that attempts to justify its imperial policy, particularly in the context of negation of the Ukrainian statehood and the war against Ukraine.
Keywords
Russian historical myths; Russian imperialism; Ukraine; Kyivan Rus; Third Rome; Novorossiya
Hrčak ID:
328114
URI
Publication date:
19.2.2025.
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