Author: TheConversation

By Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan The war being waged by Russia in Ukraine has been described in many ways – an attempt to recreate the USSR, a militant attempt to create a new Eurasia civilization, or a proxy war between Russia and the West. But whatever Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions and aspirations were in the past, they have become ever more blatantly imperial and colonial as the fighting continues. A colonial war, like Russia’s in Ukraine, is one in which a self-styled superior people believes it has the right, even the...

By Dmitrijs Andrejevs, PhD candidate in Russian and East European Studies, University of Manchester Estonia is to remove all of its Soviet-era war monuments, the latest in a line of eastern European countries to go down this path. There are reportedly 200 to 400 Soviet-era memorials or monuments still standing across Estonia. The prime minister, Kaja Kallas, said these would now be relocated “as quickly as possible,” adding: “It is clear that Russian aggression in Ukraine has torn open the wounds in our society that these communist monuments remind us of and therefore their removal from public space is...

By Shaul Kelner, Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt University Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked a surge of refugees fleeing the war zone, but political repression and economic uncertainty have also prompted emigration from Russia itself. Among the emigrants are Russian Jews, 16,000 of whom have left for Israel in the nearly six months since the war’s start. Now, Russia’s Justice Ministry is threatening the organization that helps the emigrants leave. A Moscow court held a preliminary hearing on July 28, 2022, about the ministry’s application to dissolve the Russian branch of the Jewish...

By Nadia Kaneva, Associate Professor, University of Denver When a preview of Vogue’s October 2022 cover story on Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska hit Twitter on July 26, 2022, reactions on social media were swift and polarized. Some critics said that a photo shoot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for a fashion magazine was a “bad idea” and glamorized war. Others lauded the magazine and Ukraine’s first lady for bringing awareness to the suffering of Ukrainians, five months after Russia first invaded its neighboring country. In the cover photo, 44-year-old Zelenska wears a cream-colored blouse with rolled up sleeves,...

By Christoph Bluth, Professor of International Relations and Security, University of Bradford Russian president Vladimir Putin has reportedly replaced the commander of his Black Sea fleet just three days after an attack on the Russian Saki airbase in Crimea, as Ukraine’s military strategy shifts towards regaining territory in the south, and especially Crimea. Meanwhile, Russian aircraft are being moved to bases deeper inside the peninsula or to the mainland. Sevastopol, where the Black Sea fleet command is based, is on high alert. Ukraine has threatened to attack and destroy the famous Kerch Strait bridge which links the Russian mainland...

By Greta Uehling, Lecturer, Program in International and Comparative Studies, University of Michigan War does more than displace civilians, or kill them. When wars are waged in residential areas, they become part of the calculus of simply getting through the day. During the war in Ukraine, now reaching its six-month anniversary, my friends and colleagues there have held Zoom meetings between air raid signals. In a recent meeting, I noticed one of them was speaking from a shower stall, the most heavily reinforced area of their apartment. Professors who are defending their country tell me about grading students’ work...