Why did Vladimir Putin decide to launch Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? While many explanations focus on Putin’s geopolitical ambitions or his authoritarianism, this talk explores a less discussed but crucial dimension: memory. Instead of examining the Kremlin’s instrumentalization of the memory of the Great Patriotic War to justify the invasion, it looks at how the memory of Kievan Rus’ helped drive it. Rather than centering on the power of politics over memory, it sheds light on the power of memory over politics |
