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.

Drawing on the idea that states need a sense of historical continuity to maintain a stable identity, the talk examines how the Russian leadership has used the memory of Kievan Rus’ to craft a narrative of Russia’s thousand-year tradition of statehood. This narrative, which sees Ukraine as an inseparable part of Russia’s own past, came under threat as Ukraine increasingly asserted its independence—not only politically but also symbolically. The result was a war not just over land, but over memory.



This talk offers a fresh perspective on the invasion of Ukraine by showing how memory shapes state identity, why it matters for international politics, and how historical narratives can drive contemporary conflict.

Speaker

Dr. Ekaterina V. Klimenko holds a PhD in Sociology and a Candidate of Sciences Degree in Cultural Studies. Her research expertise lies at the intersection of Nationalism Studies, Memory Studies, and Russian Studies. Her overarching research interest is in the post-communist political elites’ nation-building efforts as reflected in the strategies of ethnic diversity management, policies of migrant integration, and memory politics. Klimenko held prestigious scholarships (Higher Education Support Program Scholarship and Scholarship for an Outstanding Young Scholar from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland) and fellowships (Wayne S. Vucinich Fellowship at Stanford University, Uppsala Forum Visiting Fellowship at Uppsala University, and James H. Billington Fellowship at the Kenan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars). Her work was published by Communist and Post-Communist Studies, Problems of Post-Communism, and Nationalities Papers.