How the Kremlin weaponises history to justify war.

Abstract

On February 24, 2022, troops of the Russian Armed Forces entered Ukrainian soil, launching a full-scale invasion with the goal of taking Kyiv within 3 days. Two years later, what Moscow calls its Специальная Военная Операция (Special Military Operation) is still ongoing. While the invasion took many Western analysts by surprise, a retrospective look at Moscow's historical narratives surrounding Ukraine reveals a buildup to the conflict. Vladimir Putin’s presidential speeches present the argumentation, rooted in historical revisionism, that serves to justify Russia’s military agenda in Ukraine. Through the weaponisation of Ukrainian History, starting from the Kyivan Rus up until the Separatist movement in Donbas, Moscow constructs narratives that delegitimise Ukraine’s historical existence. Portraying Ukrainians as part of one Russian people, claiming Eastern territories of Ukraine and suggesting that neo-Nazis have taken power with the help of the West in pursuit of the latter’s anti-Russian policy, the Kremlin misrepresents history to justify military intervention. This thesis aims to demonstrate how Russia has weaponised Ukrainian, Russian and Global history in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian War.