EUROPE INSIGHT
In the wake of the 24th-February
Russian invasion of Ukraine : geopolitics , history and memory
Georges Mink Emeritus Director of Research in the Institute of Political Social Sciences at the French National Centre for Scientific Research ( ISP-CNRS ), European Civilization and History Chair , dedicated to the memory of Prof . Bronislaw Geremek ( College of Europe , Natolin , Poland )
Since 24 February 2022 , Putin ’ s outrageous distortion of Ukrainian history to justify the frontal attack on Ukraine raises questions over the relationship between Russian geopolitical continuity and historical justification . And thus what international law and world order means to the Kremlin . Indeed , since that fateful date , we have seen a sort of globalisation of bilateralism that has imposed itself as a new world order . For if Putin ’ s historical revisionism was necessary for him , like a fuse to ignite the war , the historical argument rapidly gave way to the voice of weapons and the nuclear threat . The whole world was inevitably involved , either because of the blocking of foodstuffs , gas or fertiliser supplies , or because of the West ’ s support to Ukraine in terms of military equipment and the support lent by certain autocratic countries to Russia . The President of Ukraine , Volodymyr Zelensky , through his communication policy , has largely contributed to the Europeanisation and globalisation of his country ’ s cause . Therefore , we wonder about the role and the degree of effectiveness of historical revisionism and historical memory games in Putin ’ s strategy .
The Russian attack was like a cold shower for our optimism as citizens of the European haven of peace , established during the last quarter of the 20 th century .
But let ’ s allow Putin himself to speak , whose historical and memorial conviction is summed up in an article from July 2021 . This article , entitled “ On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians ”, makes the 9 th -century Kievan Rus the integrating foundation of a people and the Ukrainian capital , the “ mother of Russian cities ”, is the cradle . « Russians , Ukrainians and Belarusians are all descendants of Ancient Rus , which was the largest state in Europe (...) History has decided that the centre of reunification , continuing the tradition of ancient Russian statehood , should become Moscow », Vladimir Putin writes . 1
1 http :// en . kremlin . ru / events / president / news / 66181
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Observing Memories Issue 6